Animorphs: Twisted Fates
by JosieVang2
Summary: How would the war have gone if Elfangor decided to hightail it out of there when the Animorphs came across his ship, ensuring his survival? Not interesting enough for you? Hear this then: What would have happened if a Controller was there too, and became the sixth Animorph? Read this to find out! Follow along from book one to book fifty four, as well as before and beyond.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Rights to Animorphs and its respective characters belong to the respective parties.  
Warning: Minor adult content in some chapters. and swearing. Also, a higher-than-likely chance that things may be lifted directly from the text without warning, scenarios imitated, battles poorly written. Also, long chapters. The story generally follows the series!

A/N: Up to Book 10, The Android

Type: AU

Summary: How would the war have gone if Elfangor decided to hightail it out of there when the Animorphs came across his ship, ensuring his survival? Not interesting enough for you? Hear this then: What would have happened if a Controller was there too, and became the sixth Animorph?

Read this to find out! Follow along from book one to book fifty four. And beyond.

End of A/N

* * *

The situation was so outrageous I almost laughed. An Andalite fighter crash landed right in front of me. I was in the construction site riding my bicycle, a pointless Human teenage exercise and an Andalite ship crashes near me! Me! A Yeerk! I decided to "Play it cool" as the Humans said.

I reacted as any normal teenage Human female would. With awe, a little fear, trepidation. I ensured all the right reactions as I watched the ship set down. I heard noise from my left. Snapped my head to the side and saw a group of Humans around my hosts' age. Three males and two females. A tall brown haired kid, a boy with dark long hair, a scrawny blond boy who looked like the type I'd have beaten up at Human school, a not unattractive girl with long flowing golden hair, and a dark skinned female with short hair.

They approached the ship. They babbled as they went. The idiots didn't even seem to notice me! I stepped out from the half finished building and made myself known. My striking moon blue hair shimmered and waved as I neared the group.

"Hey!" I said. I don't know why I said it, it was the first thing to pop into my hosts' brain.

The other kids gave surprised gasps and stares, the boy with the dark hair made a wisecrack about my hosts' hair. I was instantly annoyed. The tall kid nudged the other boy forcefully.

"Cool it, Marco." He told him. For once, my host and I were in agreement about that. You don't mock the hair.

"It's alright." I told them absently. My french accent making the words flow out beautifully anyway. My attention was on the ship. A slit appeared in the hull that resolved itself into a door. As it opened to reveal the filthy Andalite within I had to keep from sneering.

‹Hello› The Andalite warrior said through thought-speak. ‹Do not be frightened.›

"What are you?" The scrawny blond boy asked.

‹I am an Andalite.› He answered the boy calmly. He staggered out of the ship and continued ‹My ship has been set to self destruct, you must hurry! The Yeerks will have tracked me here!›

Marco looked sick. "Why are we standing around here if that thing is going to explode on us?!"

"Wait a second! Who are the Yeerks?" The blond haired girl asked quickly. No- _Demanded_ quickly. I spared her a look, thinking briefly that she'd be a natural Visser.

‹They have come to destroy you.› The Andalite replied swiftly. ‹Now go! I will contact you again, children!›

Was it me, or did his eyes flicker to the blond haired boy as he said that last part?

_I saw that too._ My host chimed as our little group escaped into the alley.

I'd have to find out why then.

The next day at school I sat down at a table for lunch. It wasn't something I liked eating as far as Human food went, and I had far too much on my mind as it was to even think about eating it. I looked up as the children from the construction site sat down around me. I thought carefully before I spoke, to appear as just the wondering little Human teenager I was and _not_ as an alien that had traveled the stars for years of her life.

"Bonjour. My name is Melanie." I told them quietly. The boy, Marco, seemed enraptured by me. _Great_...I sighed mentally.

Marco put on a huge smile. "Melanie, I just LOVE your accent."

"I- Thanks." I spluttered back. I didn't need a Human male trying to court me!_ I'll have to do something mean to cut this off before it begins_, I thought irritably. "Who are the rest of you?"

"My name is Jake." The tall boy said easily. "Don't mind Marco."

"I'm Cassie. It's really nice to meet you." The dark skinned girl told me warmly.

"Rachel." The long haired blond girl answered.

"I'm..Tobias.." The scrawny, sandy haired boy said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"We're all here to talk about the alien, I assume." I said quietly. I glanced around to be sure no one was within earshot of us. Especially Yeerks. It was against the laws of the Empire to be in contact with an Andalite, to not kill one on sight, to...

"Yeah. The...Anda- Andy" Jake struggled for the word. I didn't supply it, as I knew it might cause suspicion if I said it so easily.

Fortunately, Tobias spoke up for me. "He said he was an Andalite."

"That's right." Cassie agreed with a smile. "I hope he's okay, he was hurt badly."

_Who cares?_ I thought to myself, half tempted to roll my eyes at the girl. I didn't think I'd said that aloud until I saw everyone eyeing me.

Oops. "I mean what about his spaceship, oui?" I tried to recover. "What about the technology, hyperspace? Light speed? Phasers?"

Marco was staring at me with growing appreciation as I went on. He threw up his hands dramatically and then took my hands in his. "My goddess!" He said almost tearfully. I wasn't even sure if he was faking it or not. This boy was the strangest Human I had ever met!

I yanked my hands from his grasp and before I could say anything, before I even noticed- SLAP! My host took control again. I saw the red hand print on Marco's cheek. "Stay away!" My host cried out with her- our- MY mouth. She pushed the chair back as I fought to regain control, causing us to spin and trip over the chair leg. It seemed like it was over in an instant. The boys sat stunned. Marco caressed his cheek, dumbfounded. Rachel was eyeing me with some new-found likeness, but I couldn't imagine why.

Cassie immediately was beside me. "Are you okay?" She asked, all concern. I let her help me get up. I wasn't entirely sure I was back in control. I looked at them all, saw the rest of the lunchroom staring at me. I ran for the hall when I noticed there were tears falling from my eyes.

Cassie found me in the bathroom minutes later. She sat down next to me on the dirty linoleum. "What happened? Are you..Are you alright Melanie?"

My host seemed like a void in my head. I searched for her and found...NOTHING!_ Impossible! Where_... "Yes." I found myself replying to Cassie. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it..Thank you." She set her hand on my shoulder. I brushed it off and stood. She stood too.

"Would you like to come over to my house after school?" Cassie said. "I was thinking we could meet in my barn to discuss the alien, so no one could overhear us, or any of those..Yeerks. Wherever they are. Jake thinks they could be invisible."

"Oui. I'd like that. But will Marco be there?" I said with a sneer of disgust that didn't fit my hosts' admittedly pretty face.

"Well, yes. But you don't have to talk him, and I'm sure Jake will straighten him out before then." Cassie said quickly.

I agreed, and we left for class together.

At the end of the day I told my parents where I was going and got on the bus to the edge of town.

When I arrived at Cassie's barn, the other Humans were already there. Except Tobias, I noted._ Interesting._

Rachel patted a spot on a bale of hay, and I sat next to her. I avoided Marco's gaze as he was avoiding mine.

We all sat there until the silence grew to be too much.

"When do you think the Andalite will contact us?" Jake asked.

‹Now.› A voice said, but not out loud. It was _him._ I fought to keep my hands from shaking, to keep from looking around. Then thought better of it as I saw the other Humans' panicked glances around.

My reaction would be just fine. But it wasn't helpful. There were too many creatures in here, too many possibilities! "Can you come out?" I asked, keeping my voice soft, trying to keep the quaver of anger out of it.

‹Yes. If my true form does not frighten you, I will demorph.› The other Humans didn't react. _Of course they wouldn't know what "Demorph" means_, I berated myself.

The Humans gave cries of disgust and surprise as a wild squirrel near the barn doors dissolved and shifted into the Andalite.

"I told you he wasn't invisible." Jake told Marco triumphantly. Just then, Tobias walked in. The Andalite's stalk eyes turned, the tail raised, and then he relaxed as he recognized the boy.

"Hi." Tobias whispered. He seemed frozen to the spot. Possibly not wanting to walk past the filthy Andalite to get to us. I couldn't blame him.

‹Hello, Tobias.› The Andalite responded gently.

"It knows your name!" Marco hissed.

‹I am not an IT, Marco, I am a HE, and I am an Andalite.› The alien responded, seeming affronted. Marco went pale. The Andalite's next words caused my heart to stop beating. ‹My name is Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul.›

For all my control over myself, over this host, I fainted on the spot. I dimly registered the ground rushing up to meet me, and then the world went dark.

"Served you right..." I heard a voice say angrily as I awoke. Rachel's voice.

‹Are you alright, miss Melanie?› I heard the voice ask in my head. My eyes snapped open. I sat up quickly and screamed as I realized the hands that were-

"Hey!" Tobias said as the Andalite, as _Elfangor_ nearly backed into him.

"Woah." Marco commented.

I fought to get myself under control for the second time today. I was shaking, holding my arms around myself, my blue hair curtained around my face. Dammit, I thought as I felt the tears again. The Andalite looked down on me in absolute shock. At least I think it was shock. I stared back into his face. My hair fell back. I saw his hands twitch oddly. His tail lowered to the ground, as if it were any less threatening that way! He took a step toward me, then thought better of it.

‹Melanie. Are you alright?› Elfangor asked me again.

I willed myself to sound normal again when I replied. "I'm okay. It's...It is not every day I meet an alien." The irony in that statement nearly drove me to giggles. Elfangor seemed to accept it, and his main eyes crossed.

‹Indeed. That was quite the fall you had.› His voice was kind, gentle as he spoke to me. It was unnerving.

I stood up and stepped toward him with an idea in mind. I cautiously approached. One step. Two steps. Almost mechanically. I reached out a shaking, shivering hand and touched his chest fur. I felt a shock go through my body. _Holy. Crap._

The Andalite reached up and took my hand in his own, gently lowering it down. ›I apologize for frightening you.›

"It's..It's okay." I whispered. I was touching an Andalite! Damn the laws! _If only..._

Marco coughed. I jumped and stepped back. "This is creeping me out." Me said in an overly loud voice. Tobias, who was now next to Rachel, gave Marco a shy grin. "Got that right." He said.

"Prince..Elfangor?" Jake addressed, trying out the name hesitantly. I sat back down with Rachel and Tobias. Dazed from the swelling lump on my head and from the fact that I had actually TOUCHED the great Beast Elfangor, and that he had responded in KINDNESS!

‹Yes, Jake?›

"I think I want to know more about these Yeerks." He said firmly. It was then that I noticed the similarities between Jake and Rachel. _Were they related?_

‹Of course› Elfangor's eyes uncrossed. He gathered himself. ‹They are a race of parasitic aliens. In their natural state they are much like your worms or caterpillars.› Anger flared within me at the comparison. _How _dare_ he?!_ ‹They are harmless. Blind and deaf. They survive and expand by taking over the bodies and minds of other species. Their goals are conquest, total domination. The Yeerk Empire wishes to enslave the entire universe. The Yeerks have reached Earth, and are enslaving your race in secret. The extent of hosts they've taken are unknown at this point.›

Marco made a comment about this being "So like Star Wars". Everyone ignored him.

Elfangor continued on. ‹We Andalites fight them wherever they go, freeing the enslaved and protecting the ones who are not yet taken. We call those who have been enslaved "Controllers". But be warned, not all are taken against their will. The Taxxon, for instance. A race of giant cannibalistic sentient creatures. Their urge to eat is so overpowering that they've even eaten themselves when injured. They sell out to the Yeerks for the promise of food.›

He paused, his stalk eyes roving over us all. Letting it sink in. Tobias startled beside me, as if surprised that it was over so soon.

"But you're going to beat them, aren't you?" Tobias questioned. "That's why you're here, to fight them off. To save us."

Elfangor's eyes closed at that. He almost seemed to sigh. ‹Unfortunately that task is made even more difficult now than it was yesterday night. The Yeerks had ships hiding behind your moon. They ambushed our forces and wiped them out, including our dome ship. I felt a brush of sorrow from him at that last part. I am the last remaining Andalite on this planet, as far as I am aware.›

Silence reigned until- "Great, then we're screwed." Marco stated as if it were fact. Rachel gave him a glare of hatred.

"No, we're not screwed!" She countered excitedly "We can fight these things! we'll find them all, expose them and kick their butts!"

"Why don't we just go to the President with this? Or the national guard?" Cassie said. "We shouldn't have to do anything. We're just a bunch of kids."

"Didn't you hear him though?" Tobias said fearfully. "Yeerks take over anyone. They can be anyone. The President, the army."

"I don't care, I'm still going to fight these slugs!" Rachel reiterated, but less enthusiastically.

‹No.› Elfangor cut in. We all stared. ‹At least, not without assistance.› He trotted to a corner and retrieved a glowing blue cube.

"How is a little glowy box going to help us?" Rachel asked.

"How did he even sneak that in here?" Marco said faintly.

Elfangor's eyes crossed again. ‹It is called the Escafil Device, and with it, I can give you the power to morph. The same power that allowed me to take the shape of the Squirrel.›

"Squirrels can't fight an alien empire." Rachel snorted.

"But tigers, lions and bears could." I said, letting the face splitting smile come across my face as Rachel and I high fived. My mind was running wild. The first Yeerk since Visser Three to acquire the morphing technology! And if I could steal the device myself and hand it to the Council of Thirteen, I could become a single digit Visser, no, I could have a seat on the Council!

"That's my girl!" Rachel agreed with me, giving me a slap on the shoulder. For a moment I was confused, thinking that she somehow pried into my thoughts.

‹All you have to do is place your hand on this cube,› Elfangor spoke again And you will gain the power. ‹However, take heed. You will be forced to fight, you will be forced into the stuff of nightmares, you WILL be fighting a hopeless battle, you will all likely die in the end, maybe not even make a difference at all.›

I had a feeling that these uncomfortable silences were going to become something of a routine. "But we'd have the chance to save our planet, oui?" I said. I didn't want to seem too eager. "We'd at least have a chance of it. I'd have the chance to protect my sister and my friends? My family?" I wasn't lying about that. I'd grown to appreciate my hosts' relatives, even felt affection for them. I'd be sad if they were taken. I was surprised to find that this outright traitorous line of thinking didn't bother me.

‹Yes.›

I looked right into his main eyes. "Then I'll take that chance."

* * *

Over the next few weeks we acquired and tried out morphs. Of course under the supervision of Elfangor. We met at his meadow in the forest where he had built an Andalite scoop, the closest thing they had to houses. He would watch us and critique on the strengths and weaknesses of the creatures, the areas they would be useful for. Stealth and reconnaissance, combat, and travel. In return, he told us more useless information about the conflict with the Yeerk Empire that I already knew. Some of these battles I had been present for! But I gladly kept up my charade. Oh yes, there were a few slip ups, but nothing I wasn't able to pass off as Human reactions rather than Yeerk.

"Yes, Visser. We're still searching for the Humans who were at the construction site." The police officer, Jackson said into the phone. He was talking to Visser Three, the only Yeerk with an Andalite host body. The only other Yeerk with the power to morph. From the sound of it, he wasn't pleased by this report.

I was sitting calmly on his couch, flipping through television channels at random as the Controller gave his report. When he hung up the phone and scowled at me, I turned the volume down on the TV. "He's not happy is he, Zanda?" I purred, infuriating him with a smile.

"No." Jackson/Zanda replied harshly. Then he sighed. "Honestly when is he ever happy?"

"Good point."

"What is this news you bring to me, Exaff?" He asked impatiently.

I cracked a grin and wordlessly stood. This was going to be fun. "Just watch."

I concentrated on the white tiger and began to morph in front of my friend. He gave a cry of "Andalite!" and began to reach for his dracon beam. I dissuaded him with a look.

I fully completed the morph a moment later. I paced around the living room, showing my teeth and leaping around a little before "Demorphing" back into my Human host body.

Zanda's mouth was literally hanging open. I laughed and he closed it. "How?" He whispered in awe.

I spent a second debating whether to tell him everything or not. Then I made up my mind. "I was at the construction site the night the Andalite fighter crashed. The Andalite was badly wounded when I entered. There was a white sphere in his filthy hands. He was clinging to it desperately! I plucked it from his grasp and used a shredder I found in there to fry his brains."  
"When I touched the sphere it transferred the morphing power to me, but it disintegrated a moment after. Either I wore it out, or it was too badly damaged to function anymore. I'm not sure. But the craft self destructed almost as soon as I stepped outside again. It nearly killed me. I was laying there almost dead, but I acquired a bug on the ground, and when I reverted: It healed me."

Zanda stood there for a few minutes, seeming to ponder all my words. Then his lip curled in disgust. "You'll be the next Visser Three. Lording over the rank and file likes of me. Good luck out there. I hear the safety hazards are enormous."

My face twisted into shock. I couldn't help it. _How could my friend think this of me?_ "That's not true Zanda."

"It is!" His eyes flashed angrily "The device and ship are both destroyed, obliterated! Leaving you the only one with this power! You'll use it, you'll advance and leave me behind, perhaps rightfully so! But I don't want you around rubbing this in my face, acting the arrogant fool like an Andalite!"

I was stunned by his ranting. He breathed heavily, his fists shook. "Then I won't." I said simply, and walked toward the door. I stopped with my hand on the doorknob. Then I turned around. "And neither will you." His face registered shock a millisecond before my dracon beam's energy blast burned through his head. I wiped away the all too common tears these days and left the house.

I met with Tobias at his uncle's house the next day, discussing what I'd "Learned" about The Sharing organization at school earlier.

"Principal Chapman's one of them?" Tobias said quietly.

"Ouai." I said, then realized I had said it in my hosts' native language. "Yeah." I repeated in English. "He was talking about how they were ahead of schedule in getting Controllers by using The Sharing. I think I only saw and heard past the hologram because of my fly senses."

Tobias shifted uncomfortably on the bed as I scooted closer to him. I rolled my eyes and gave him a look. "We should talk quieter. Do you want your uncle overhearing that we're saving the world from parasitic aliens?" He blushed and nodded.

"We should tell Elfangor." He whispered.

"Is it worth troubling him over?" I pretended to be anxious and bit my lip. "He might already know." I said that last part because, I thought, I didn't really want to give such a huge advantage to him if he _didn't_ know, and if he did know...I wanted to avoid being in his presence as much as I could get away with. He was confusing. He wasn't at all like the Andalites I'd heard about since I was...Born.

"You're right." Tobias considered. "But we should still tell him. What's the harm?"

_More than you know._ But I agreed with him aloud. I knew the kid would tell the Andalite anyway. They seemed to be closer than Elfangor was with the rest of us, I'd observed.

_Even closer than he is to me._ I felt an odd twinge of jealousy at that, but couldn't find the source of it.

We were all gathered in Elfangor's scoop a few hours later. Tobias and I had just relayed the news.

Elfangor's eyes crossed again, which I figured out by now to be a sign of happiness, or amusement, depending on the situation. It seemed to be an Andalite's way of smiling. ‹Good work, the both of you.› _There was that blatant affection for Tobias again,_ I thought bitterly. The idiot boy hadn't even done anything but tell the news with me!

"Thanks." I answered. "So what are we going to do about this?"

"What can we do?" Marco challenged me. He had a habit of doing that, something I found to be both annoying and a relief.

‹Nothing as of now.› Elfangor interrupted, coming to my defense. He didn't seem to enjoy Marco's treatment of me, a fact that pleased me. ‹We cannot risk anything at this time. I've learned that Visser One will be arriving on Earth soon. She is a cunning Yeerk, far more than Visser Three. She's more dangerous because she is subtle and calculating, rather than preferring to be-›

"A slash happy megalomaniac." Marco cut in quickly. The others snickered, and even myself and Elfangor laughed.

‹Yes.› Elfangor said in amusement ‹A crude description, but accurate. Visser One has far less of a reputation for murdering her underlings.› He turned the holographic emitter attached to his "Salvaged" laptop on and flipped through a few files. He stopped it on the image of a middle aged Human woman. She had dark hair and skin similar to-

Marco gasped beside me, and Jake's eyes were strange, but no one else reacted. I eyed the two suspiciously. Did they know something about this host?

‹This is Visser One's current host.› Elfangor continued on, as if nothing had happened with the two boys, but I was sure he'd noticed too by the way one of his stalk eyes was now focused on them.

"Can't we find her and kill her? Or free the host?" I said, carefully watching Marco and Jake. "If we kill her, that would deal a huge blow to the Yeerks wouldn't it?" _Aha!_ They both grew pale at that, and then I was certain I knew. They were familiar with this host.

Elfangor considered my words. ‹It would, yes. But she would be far too well defended to attempt anything. She would almost certainly be in the Yeerk Pool or on the Pool ship.›

We all discussed this back and forth for a while until Elfangor settled it by telling us all to go home, and that we'd figure out something with The Sharing later, some sort of minor strike that we could afford to make.

I stayed behind as Rachel, Tobias and Cassie morphed birds and left. Marco and Jake had stayed behind as well. Elfangor motioned us back into the scoop, confirming my theory.

Marco, Jake and I sat on the old couch together and waited.

‹Something tells me that you two are familiar with this host.› Elfangor said, getting to the heart of the matter. The two boys nodded. Elfangor turned a stalk eye to me. ‹You're quite an observant Human.› His main eyes crossed at that.

I smiled back. "Thank you, Prince Elfangor. I didn't want to say anything in front of the others."

‹That was smart thinking on your part, Melanie.› He turned his attention to Marco, who sat fidgeting for a second.

"That was my mom." He whispered, as if not daring to believe it himself. "That, Visser One or whatever, that was my mother."

Elfangor closed his main eyes, but kept his stalks on the boy. ‹Are you certain?›

"I KNOW MY MOTHER, ELFANGOR!" Marco erupted "We have to free her!"

Elfangor laid a calming hand on Marco's shoulder, as did Jake. ‹Marco, she is Visser One. She is far too well protected to do anything. I am sorry, but you must understand-›

"No _you_ understand! How would you feel if it was one of your family members?! What about that brother of yours you talked about? What if it was him?!" Marco screeched. He knocked the hands away.

Elfangor stepped back. His voice went low ‹My brother is dead.› The quieter Elfangor got, the madder he was. We'd learned that quickly enough.

"And my mom is as good as dead if we don't help her!" Marco recklessly plowed on.

"Marco!" I said loudly. He flinched at my tone and sat down. "Try to think rationally. You're good at that, so do it." I softened my voice with an effort. "Besides that she's too well guarded, if we take her away they'll just place someone else in charge. Maybe Visser Three will get promoted, or they'll end up hunting down the rest of your family in order to find her. Do you want that?"

Elfangor's face was a case in shock, Jake's looked the same.

"You're right...I'm sorry..." Marco whispered. He seemed like he was possibly trying not to cry. I put my hands around him and pulled him into a hug without even thinking about it.

"Maybe someday we will get the chance to free her, but until then she's the enemy. You have got to remember that." I said softly.

"I will." He replied firmly.

‹Good.› Elfangor said. And then in private thought-speak to me he said ‹Thank you, Melanie› His voice radiated approval, and I basked in it.

* * *

"I'm home dad!" I announced as I walked into the house. I got a muffled "Welcome home" in return as I headed to my bedroom. I opened the door and was surprised to find my twin sister sitting on my bed playing video games. I sighed and prepared myself. "What are you doing Christy?" Christy was my hosts' nickname for her, her actual name was Crystal. "Get out of my room, I'm tired."

She gave me a defiant look that would have gotten her murdered in the Empire and stuck her middle finger up at me. "Be nicer. I don't know what the heck is wrong with you, but ever since we moved here to America you've been a real bitch." I internally laughed at the irony, considering how she was treating me at the moment, but said nothing about it. The reason her sister was being out of character was the fact that I had infested her, and since then I had been having a really stressful life.

"Fine." I said calmly "Can you please get out of my room? I've had a long day." That was entirely true. Tobias, Rachel and I had been out flying. We were following known Controllers to figure out where Yeerk Pool entrances were. Of course I kept quiet about the fact that I already knew where they were. But just to move things along over the past month I had "Accidentally discovered" two entrances in the mall.

"Sure." She got up and left. I didn't care where. I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. This double agent business was more taxing than I had ever imagined it would be.

I fell asleep within moments.

I woke up the next day and started getting ready for school until I remembered it was Sunday. Then I went out into the alley and morphed to osprey. I flew to Tobias's house again, as I often did. But his window was closed this time. Knowing his sleeping habits, I demorphed and stepped onto the porch and knocked on the door. I had done this before, but never this late. But I thought it was worth the shot.

About a full minute later it finally opened to reveal a very large, angry and unclean Human male. Tobias's uncle. I could smell the alcohol on him from a mile away. "What the hell do you want?" He barked out blearily. I forced myself to not step back, to NOT shake, and definitely to not strike the pathetic Human. But when I spoke, to my horror, my voice was shaky. "I'm..I'm here to see Tobias. Is he home?"

"The little runt, eh? What the 'ell do you want with him?" The man snarled.

"I have to talk to him." I said quietly. Why was I reacting this way? I was NOT a coward, I was a proud member of the Yeerk species! "Are you going to answer me or am I wasting my time here?" It was out of my mouth in an instant.

Tobias's uncle seemed to swell. His face went red. _Oh shit_, I was instantly, horribly aware of the frailty and age of my host a second before he grabbed me. I was terrified and shouting before I could think, battering away at the man with my fists, tear-struck as he held me and screamed incomprehensibly into my face. He punched me in the stomach and started pulling me into the house by my hair when another voice rang out.

"Melanie?" It said from behind me. Tobias's uncle looked up froze. In that moment I turned and wrenched myself out of my captor's grasp, kicking between his legs for good measure. He keeled over, swearing as I ran into the street toward the Human male who had said my name.

I got a good look at him as I approached. He was a fit, muscular man, but not large. His hair was dark and average length, much like Jake's. He looked to be in his mid twenties. I had never seen this Human before, I was sure of it. _How does he know me then?_ I wondered.

"Who the fuck are you? You responsible for this crazy bitch?" Tobias's uncle raged from the doorstep at the new arrival.

The man cleared his throat, and I stood next to him. Whoever he was, he had saved my life. "As a matter of fact, I am." In those few words, something familiar echoed in my head that I couldn't place.

"Good," Screamed Tobias's uncle "Then take 'er and stay the fuck away from here! I don't want that crazy bitch anywhere near my house again or I'll do her in!"

"Howard. I could have the local law enforcement here within moments for your actions." I dimly wondered how he could know the names of two people he had never met.

"An' who are you? Eh? Some undercover government swine?" Howard jeered at the newcomer beside me.

The man paused for a moment, then said lowly. "Alan. Alan Fangor. I assure you I'm not with the government, but I will not let drunken fools like yourself harm and intimidate children."

‹You had best be going, Melanie.› The familiar thought-speak voice of Prince Elfangor said to me gently. Then it clicked. Al..Fangor. Even I could appreciate the cleverness of that. I nodded, but didn't move. Tobias's uncle continued to holler out insults and threats. Elfangor pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. "I am calling police to your residence as we speak, sir."

‹Go, Melanie.› Elfangor said more forcefully ‹I will speak to the police officers and ensure tobias's safety as well. You don't want to be here.› My painfully slow thinking brain registered the fact that he was treating me like the innocent and naive Human girl I was supposed to be playing.

_Oh. Right_. "Okay. Just make sure Tobias is safe, please." I whispered before setting out down the street. Before I turned the corner I heard one last thing from Elfangor. ‹Not to worry. I have a plan.›

I was sitting at the dinner table with my hosts' family that night when there was a knock at the door. My mother opened it and a policeman stepped inside. "I'm looking for a miss Melanie Mathieu." he said carefully.

My mother glanced at me. "Has she done anything wrong?" She answered, looking as if she dreaded the answer.

"Nothing like that ma'am." The officer said. "But she was allegedly the victim of assault and witness to an altercation earlier this evening. We'd like to ask her some questions."

My sister and father stared at me in what seemed like pity. I remembered the feeling, the look, the emotions of earlier, and thought it was deserved. "Right here." I said to the officer. I stood from the table and he asked me where I would be comfortable with this. I chose the living room.

It took the better part of an hour to describe the event and answer the man's questions, minus the morphing and aliens of course. He thanked me for my time and left. I wasn't even upset by the fact that I was...Upset, this time. I ignored the shaking. I ignored the tears and the looks from my family. I went to my room, locked the door and collapsed onto my bed and cried.

I awoke on Monday morning to find my hosts' father sitting in a chair next to my bed. I didn't remember him coming in here, or unlocking the door. I searched my hosts' memories and found- _Nothing! This was...This was impossible! First the uncontrollable reactions, now missing memories!_ This host, for all its' uses, for all its' attractiveness, was defunct. Mentally crippled. Something was wrong with it. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what.

My father asked me if I wanted to stay home today, and I was confused until I remembered the other day, and then I remembered from television how any normal Human child would act from experiencing such a thing. Pretty much the same as I was acting now anyway, I discovered surprisingly. I let it go. I was still a Yeerk grub myself, after all. I stayed in bed the whole day, eyeing the clock until school ended for the others. At an hour before then, I got a visitor.

It was Tobias. He walked into my room, looking around for a place to sit. Then I remembered I hadn't said the proper thing. "Sit anywhere." I muttered in irritation. He chose the end of my bed, making me regret my choice of words. _Doesn't he know Human legs lose blood flow when they're not stretched out fully? Is he trying to hurt me more?_

"How are you feeling?" He asked me timidly.

"Fine." I said shortly. "How about you?" It seemed fair, seeing as he had to _live_ with that man.

Tobias's expression changed, but I couldn't tell into what. "Did you morph away your injuries?"

"I did. But that doesn't heal the-" I stopped. The what? What was I about to say? The emotional pain? The trauma? I was a WARRIOR!_ Screw that_, I thought, disgusted at myself. "Go away Tobias. Aren't you supposed to be in school anyway?"

He gave me an odd look and smiled. "I'm not the best student. They won't miss me."

"Fine." I said again as I sat up. "Want to watch TV with me?" I offered after a moments silence.

He smiled again. "I'd like that."

Three weeks later on the first week of Summer, Alan Fangor, (a millionaire who worked for a prestigious computer company and lived in the rich end of the city) officially was appointed guardianship over Tobias _, now Tobias Fangor.

Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Marco, and I started spending our time in Tobias and Elfangor's very large house that was full of very expensive items. Marco was now being very friendly with Tobias, something that didn't escape anyone's notice._ Stupid for a Human_, I thought as I watched him playing video games on the latest gaming system. But he would have made a fine Yeerk with that kind of subterfuge.

"What do you think about Animorphs?" Cassie asked me, shaking me out of my thoughts.

"What? I'm sorry. I wasn't listening..." Jake laughed, and Rachel sent him a scathing look.

"Animorphs. Animal morphers." Rachel informed me, rolling her eyes. "Our group code-name. We were just talking about it."

"Putting it to a vote." Jake added.

_Silly codenames,_ I thought. Why would I have an opinion on such a stupid thing? But I gave it anyway. "I think that's fantastique."

"It's decided. We, on this day, pledge ourselves forever and always to the suicidal, insane cause of the Animorphs." Marco said dramatically, looking up from his game.

"How you feeling Mel?" Tobias said. I shifted uncomfortably as he peered at me a little too intently, almost like his hawk morph.

"I'm fine." I hid my face behind my hair to mask the flushing in my cheeks. "Stop asking me that every other day."

Tobias seemed a little hurt, then he smiled the smile I liked. "I can't help it." He said sheepishly. _If you knew what I really am you wouldn't ever say that. None of this would be happening._

"Animorphs. It's not a bad nickname." Elfangor said as he entered the living room.

"He agrees, so it really _must_ be good." Marco crowed cheerfully.

"_must_ it?" Rachel mocked sweetly. She turned so Marco couldn't see her and gave me a wink.

We should be grateful that the Yeerks know nothing of it. We would be the laughing stock of the planet. Elfangor told me in amusement in what I hoped was private thought-speak.

* * *

I was done swimming in the portable Yeerk Pool, finished with my feeding. I entered back into the ear of my host, pushed back into her skull. I wrapped myself around her familiar brain and heard a surprising response.

‹I'm used to that by now.› Melanie said to me.

‹Used to what?› I replied, curious as we stood up again.

‹You going in and out of my head. Feeling you wrap around my brain.›

‹Right...› I said absent-mindedly.

‹Aren't you going to ask me how I feel? You did just cause me allot of pain.› Melanie said quietly.

‹I can read every thought you have the second you have them. Why would I need to ask you?› She was silent after that, and I heard her thinking that I "Just didn't understand". I ignored it as I put the miniature Yeerk Pool back into my closet and put up the force field and hologram again.

I morphed and flew to Elfangor's house, hoping that Tobias was there.

It turns out he was there. I knocked and entered the house and was unexpectedly asked to join them for dinner. I accepted.

"I didn't know you could cook." I told Elfangor, who was in his Alan Fangor morph.

He gave me a look that spoke volumes. "Of course I can cook. It's hardly Z-Space equations."

Tobias grinned at me from across the table. "What he means is he's really into the cooking thing. He bakes and cooks when he thinks no one's around."

Elfangor turned his gaze on Tobias now, amusement twinkling in his eyes. "It is unbecoming of a warrior to spy on his superiors."

Tobias blushed. "Sorry, dad." He said sarcastically.

Elfangor's flinched. "Don't call me that!" I watched Tobias's face fall at that, and Elfangor softened his tone. "I don't wish to disrespect your father."

"Oh." Tobias stared at the table. "Sorry- Ow!" He rubbed his arm where I had just pinched it. "What was that for?"

"We don't need you being all mopey." I told him, batting my eyelashes.

"..Worse than Rachel.." He muttered. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Elfangor smiling.

"Does it feel like we aren't accomplishing anything?" Tobias asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" I responded, biting into my steak.

"Well" He threw a glance at Elfangor before going on "We took down that big truck-ship, and we disrupted a few Sharing meetings, but that's all we've done over the past two months. I just thought we'd be doing...More."

"You'll find that war is long bouts of boredom with short bursts of excitement, rather than the other way around as it is depicted in movies and television." Elfangor said consolingly. "Sometimes it is the boredom that will drive a warrior mad rather than the bloodshed."

That pretty much killed the conversation for the rest of the night.

"Have you been having any strange dreams?" I asked Tobias later that night. We were together in his room upstairs, sitting on his bed. He frowned at me for a moment.

"Like what?"

"Like dreams about the ocean, and a voice asking for help." I told him, trying to remember.

His was surprised. "No way. I've had that same dream!" He wasn't being sarcastic, and I tried to gauge out if he was lying or not.

Just as I was about to answer, my cell phone rang. It was Cassie. "Hi Cass." I answered. "Is something the matter?"

"No," She said hesitantly. "I was just wondering if you had seen the news." I wondered what she meant, and then figured it was probably something to do with the Yeerk activities.

I flipped on the television in Tobias's room and switched to the news. "I'm there." I told Cassie as, on screen, an old guy held up what looked like a piece of metal. I was wondering what the deal was when the camera zoomed in on it.

My heart nearly stopped. "The guy says he found it washed up on the beach a few days ago." Cassie said over the phone. There was writing on it, familiar, frightening writing. But it wasn't from any alphabet on Earth. They were Andalite letters. "We think it's a piece of an Andalite ship, but we wanted to ask Elfangor about it."

"Okay." I told her "I'll get him." So Tobias and I trooped downstairs and showed the same news clip to Elfangor, who confirmed that it was indeed a piece of an Andalite ship.

"It is most likely the dome ship." He said softly. "It crashed into your ocean."

"The ocean?" Suddenly, without warning, I found myself falling to the ground. I fell backward, not even caring that Tobias caught me before my head hit the carpet.

I hit the water. I still fell down. Down through the blue-green, sunlit water, down into the dark depths of the crushing ocean.

‹I'm here.› A voice called out. ‹If you can hear me, come. I cannot survive much longer...›

I suddenly opened my eyes. I was staring up into Tobias's face, his face full of worry and concern.

"She's awake!" Tobias said. I glanced around the room and found Elfangor hurrying toward me. I saw my phone on the floor beside me. The call was still going. I sat up. I felt a distant headache, but I was fine otherwise.

"Did you...Pass out too?" I asked Tobias and Elfangor hesitantly. Tobias said he hadn't, neither had Elfangor. "What happened? I had the same dream about the ocean again, but this time it felt..More real, and I heard thought-speak. It never registered as thought-speak before."

"It is impossible...But you experienced the mirror wave call." Elfangor explained in astonishment. "It is a crude, broad ranged sending of ones thoughts in times of distress. I can understand why he wouldn't have used it until now, when he was quite desperate. It is against regulations."

"Who sent it?" Tobias asked.

"My brother." Elfangor replied in elation "Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthil. He still lives."

We waited a few days and acquired dolphins. Elfangor had suggested we practice with them. Insisted, commanded it really. The thought didn't disturb me anymore. We faced sharks and time limits to rescue his brother and bring him back from the depths. Now that he was safe at the old scoop in the forest, we made our introductions. Our grudging introductions. Aximili was disgusted with his brother over the breaking of "Seerow's Kindness" and seemed to not want anything to do with us. I had a thought that Elfangor had forbidden Aximili to say anything offensive.

"Hello." We all said, some more easily than others. Aximili was standing tall and tensed, his tail poised. The others fell for the intimidation act, but I didn't. I knew from Elfangor's eyes that his brother was acting foolishly, and I agreed.

‹Hello.› Aximili replied neutrally. At least that was a start.

‹_Aristh_ Aximili, these are Jake, Cassie, Marco, Rachel, Tobias and Melanie.› Elfangor said firmly. ‹They are my warriors.› As if he needed to remind his brother of that fact. I could hear the other message in his thought-speak as well. _They will be respected._

"You look like you could kick serious butt." Rachel complimented, but I wasn't sure if Aximili took it that way. He seemed both affronted and elated.

Elfangor smiled. ‹Yes. He can at that. My brother will need a Human morph, so with your permission...You are of course free to deny it. He will combine the DNA with the _Frolis_ maneuver that I used to create my own Human form.›

All the girls denied permission, while all the boys accepted. What Aximili came up with was a strange cross between the three boys. Short dark hair, a short nose, flat cheeks, green eyes. A mix between dark and pale skin. Altogether, I thought he wasn't too unattractive after he had put on his clothes. Then I immediately scolded myself for such flippant thinking.

"What a strange- Strange uh, morph. Fffffff. Morphuh. What." He said, playing with his mouth like it were a toy. I couldn't help it. I giggled. "He's cute." I said, earning weird looks from everyone except for Rachel and Cassie.

Our group, The Animorphs, were all in the lunch room eating when it happened. Everything froze. The people, the sound, the air itself. Time. I gasped as a glowing, blue see-through old man stepped out of thin air. As if the air were a curtain that opened up for him.

I had traveled the universe, seen any number of strange, unimaginable things! But this was insane, as Marco would say, did say a moment later!

I looked around and saw Elfangor and Aximili suddenly appear in their Andalite forms.

"Hello, Animorphs." The see-through man said quietly, though his voice seemed to be booming, echoing all the same.

"Who...What are you?" I asked him, completely dumbfounded but still trying to keep my wits. "You're not Human, but you're not Andalite or Yeerk either."

"Correct, Exaff." I almost fainted again, despite the fact that I swore I'd never let this host body do that again. I glanced cautiously at Elfangor and Aximili and saw that even though they were stock still and shaking, they had definitely noted my Yeerk name. _Crap._ "I am from a race, more powerful than any of those. I am an Ellimist."

"So what exactly is an Ellimist?" I demanded, desperately trying to get some control over this bizarre situation.

"You cannot begin to understand what I am." The Ellimist replied. "I am from your limited perspectives, all powerful. I can cross millions of light-years in an instant, I can make entire worlds disappear. I can stop time itself."

"You sure don't look all powerful." I said haughtily.

‹Don't be a fool!› Aximili hissed. His voice was like a blade through my skull ‹That's not his body! He has no body. He is everywhere at once. Inside your head, this planet. Inside time and space itself.›

‹Why are you here, Ellimist?› Elfangor demanded. ‹What have I done to draw your attention this time?› Everyone looked to him at that.

"I know it has been a while, Prince Elfangor." The Ellimist smiled. "But there is no need to be rude."

‹Rude? Rudeness has no bearing on a being such as yourself› Elfangor spat back. Mentally, not physically since he had no mouth.

"So why did you do all this? It's very impressive, but WHY?" I sneered at the god-like creature. Maybe not the smartest thing to do. But then again, he had just revealed me to two creatures who were dedicated to destroying anyone of my species, two creatures who were likely to kill me at any moment now.

"They will not harm you, even since learning of the truth." The Ellimist told me, almost kindly. Knowing what he was, the way he spoke it, I was sorely tempted to believe him. A being like this surely could do a trivial thing as peering into the future!

Aximili seemed to snap back to life then. ‹Yeerk!› He cried. His tail flashed, I closed my eyes but I felt my head still attached to my shoulders a second later. I opened my eyes to see Elfangor's tail had caught his brothers'.

‹Now is not the time for that, brother.› Elfangor said tersely. Aximili pulled his tail back, but didn't lower it. ‹The Ellimist is here, therefore he wants something. He always does.›

"You do have a lowly opinion of us." Said the Ellimist. "No matter. I am here because you must decide the fate of your race."

"That's all? Just the fate of our race?" Marco laughed. "Don't you have something a little more challenging for us?" Elfangor silenced him with a harsh glare.

Suddenly, the air opened up again, and we were all drawn into it. We were under the ocean, across planes, ice, grassy fields, a large skyscraper. "We do not interfere in the private affairs of other beings," He said "But, when they are in danger of becoming extinct we step in to save a few members. We love life, all life. But especially sentient life forms, like Homo Sapiens. Your species. This is a very beautiful planet. A priceless work of art."

Suddenly we were back in the lunch room. "That was a nice tour." I said, trying and failing to sound like it hadn't affected me. But it had. Badly. "What was it for?"

"Humans are an endangered species. Soon they will disappear." I thought of a couple things to say to that, but I ended up saying nothing at all.

Surprisingly, no one else said anything either.

"The Yeerks are technologically more advanced than you," The Ellimist said "They will continue to infest the Humans until there is nothing left besides those you call Human-Controllers. Your planet will be left a barren wasteland." With the way he said it, no one could argue. He knew the future. I looked away from everyone.

"Why come here just to tell us we're toast?" Jake asked.

"We have an offer for you. We have a planet where we would relocate you and your families, as well as some Earth creatures, to save a sample of the Human race."

Cassie said he was like an environmentalist, while Marco said he was insane. ‹Do not trust his word.› Elfangor said lowly. ‹He will fulfill his promises, surely. But he will put a twist on it, as the Humans say, to spin it for his own ends. He does not care what happens to the ones on the other end of it.›

"You must decide, now." The Ellimist said as if he hadn't heard Elfangor.

"No." I said, surprising myself. I spun through a million thoughts, ran through my entire lifetime in my head, and made my choice, damnation and all. "Human pop culture has a saying: The future is always in motion. Maybe that's bogus, maybe it's not. If we can stay here and beat back the Empire, then I say no. At least we'd have a chance. I'm not going to squander the gift Elfangor gave to me, to us." My lip curled at the Ellimist. "Perhaps you should have come here a few years down the road, when we'd be so desperate and weak. I might have said yes. But right now I say no. I WILL protect my hosts' family, my friends, and my Prince Elfangor."

One by one, the others voiced their agreements and similar notions.

"Very well." The Ellimist said with odd satisfaction.

Instantly the scene changed. He disappeared, and all of us were in Elfangor and Tobias's house. Aximili wasted no time in jumping at me, tail flashing again. Elfangor again stepped in to block it. ‹Aximili, you will desist this behavior at once!›

I backed away quickly, and the other Humans formed a shield in front of me.

‹You gave the Gift to a YEERK, you allowed a filthy slug to work with us, you defend it now!› Aximili screamed, trying to shove past his older brother to get at me. ‹How dare you?!›

‹SILENCE! Elfangor roared back. ARISTH AXIMILI, I WILL BEAT YOU OVER THE HEAD WITH MY TAIL BLADE IF YOU DO NOT CEASE THIS IMMEDIATELY!› He flicked his blade against Aximili's face quickly, drawing blood.

Ax stopped struggling. He went limp, lowering to the ground slowly. Shaking. If he were Human I was sure he'd be crying. I took a step forward. Aximili's stalk eyes swung up. ‹Stay away, filthy Yeerk murderer!› He screamed. I stood silently, staring into his main eyes. We all stayed like this for a while before Tobias coughed and said "It's really late. I think we should all sleep on this." The others murmured their agreements and trotted out the door, each of them glancing back at Ax, Elfangor, Tobias and I in sorrow, anger, and fear.

Tobias took my hand, he glanced at Elfangor and nodded at him as if he were listening to some private thought-speak message. I let him drag me up the stairs, past the Andalites and into his room.

"So you're a Yeerk." He said bluntly, blushing as he did so. He sat apart from me on the bed, seemingly afraid to touch me now. _As if he's repulsed by me._

"Yes." I said softly.

"But you're..." Tobias trailed off. Then seemed to get his courage up again. "You're not a..Megalomaniac. An evil, crazed villain...I mean, you seem normal..." He lapsed into silence.

"Not all Yeerks are the same. Just as not all Humans are the same. Or even all Andalites." I finished in a whisper. I was damning myself more so with each word I spoke, but it felt _good_. "Not all Yeerks want this war, this hungry quest for expansion and domination. There have been Yeerks in history who tried to take more peaceful routes. But they were always crushed beneath the Empire's boot."

Tobias was staring at me with that hawk-ish gaze again, and I turned away. He seemed to be at a lack for words. "Maybe we should start a Yeerk peace movement here on Earth." He said quietly as I lay down to sleep.

"That would never work. It hasn't on other worlds." I told him with a laugh.

"I hear Earth and Humans are pretty strange compared to other worlds. You never know." I heard as I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Tobias was right there waiting for me. He told me how Elfangor had told my parents I was sleeping over for a few days, and they had agreed with it, strangely enough. Together Tobias and I went down for breakfast. I never let go of his hand.

"Sit." Elfangor said, motioning to the table. We sat, and waited. And waited. Tobias went up to his room, probably at a command from Elfangor in private.

Finally I couldn't take it anymore. "If you're going to kill me don't draw it out." I snarled at the Andalite. "Are you waiting for me to get in a hearty meal before I die?"

Elfangor smiled a little. "I would not wish to waste food. But as it is, I am not going to be killing you, Exaff."

The emotions ebbed away inside of me. "Why?" I said blankly.

"The Ellimist showed me quite a few things about you that helped shape my decision." He said carefully. "For instance, he took me through space and time to a few weeks ago. You had met with a Yeerk named Zanda, you were quite close as far as Yeerks go. I saw every thought of yours and his, felt all of your emotions. Your fantasies, your hopes and desires. Yet you decided against all of it, against the chance to turn the cube over, to have us all murdered, to become Visser One perhaps. Of course it was not for any noble reasons at the time, but it is what it is. I felt your betrayal when your friend spoke of you in that manner. I felt your agony as you imagined that life."  
"The Ellimist also showed me a glimpse into the future." Elfangor stated casually, as if he were just telling us about the weather forecast. "You are an extremely important part of time and the flow of the universe. You will do so much, be so much to the Yeerks, Humans, and Andalites alike. I would not believe it myself had I not experienced such things before now. I knew my brother would meet with you Humans years before. The Ellimist showed me of that."

I released a breathe I didn't realize I had been holding. "Melanie will also play an important part in these future events." Elfangor continued "I know from your thoughts already that you are not unopposed to freedom, peace. I know Melanie does not despise you, nor you her, Exaff. The two of you are...Will be, a truly symbiotic pair. Not parasitic."

"You might accept me. Okay. You've been in my head, in my future and my past, fine. Maybe the other Humans will too." I said "But what about your brother? Did you see him in there? Does he ever..Accept me?" I couldn't say what I really had wanted to say. _Will he ever like me?_

Elfangor took a few moments to think. "I believe he will, yes. Though as you said, the future is always in motion. The futures the Ellimist shows me are but possible, or at most, the most likely ones to occur. You may steer your course toward them, or you may not." He gave a smile and finished "Though it would be more to everyone's benefit if you were to go along with it."

I laughed. Elfangor laughed with me. "Thank you, my Prince."

A week later the seven of us came rushing out of the elevator of the skyscraper. A grizzly bear, a gorilla, a wolf, two Andalites, an orange tiger, and me. The white tiger. I leaped onto the nearest Hork-Bajir and crushed his skull between my massive jaws. I avoided a slash from another Hork-Bajir and mentally grinned as Marco picked it up and slammed the alien into the wall a few times. Rachel swung her paws viciously. A Taxxon was ripped in half. Elfangor and Aximili were at the front, slashing through dozens of enemies to clear a path to the Kandrona. Elfangor was the one who had figured it out. The skyscraper The Ellimist had shown us was the very one we were now in that housed the Kandrona. Elfangor called it his "Meddling without really meddling".

Together we fought through all of the enemies, then quickly demorphed in front of the Kandrona. As the Animorphs and Andalites all thought of ways to destroy it, (Rachel's idea of shoving it out the window making me hide a grin) I told them it shouldn't be too difficult for me to hack into the systems and shut it down and then blow it up with an overloaded dracon beam or two. They stared, and Elfangor gave the word. I went to work and after two short minutes we were riding the elevator down again. Just as we stepped outside the lobby as Humans, the weapons detonated.

‹Thank you for the assistance.› Aximili said shortly to me in private thought-speak. And after a pause ‹It was a far better solution than Rachel's.›

"Ax still giving you the silent treatment? He'll warm up to you in no time when he realizes you can cook almost as well as Elfangor." Marco said slyly to me.

Aximili's eyes went wide as he thought that over. He glanced at Elfangor, then back at me. Apparently having two sources of free food was more important than the fact that one of the sources was a Yeerk. However, he still was silent until we returned to Elfangor's home. He approached me in Human morph. I ignored the fact that he forgot to (Or didn't even know) that he should have knocked on the bedroom door first. His eyes widened as he took in me laying in the bed. "I am sorry. Suh-orry. I did not know you were trying to sleep. Leep."

"It's fine Ax. What's going on?" I asked, trying to keep things light.

Ax was silent for a long while. "Would you wish to teach me to cook?" He blurted out, entirely serious. "Elfangor will not do it. He thinks I will burn his house down."

I smiled inwardly. If I had known the way to get him to take a liking to me was with food, I would have told him about my cooking experiences days ago. "I'd like to." I said softly. "But not right now. I need to sleep. WE need to sleep." I amended, considering Melanie.

"Good night, Exaff and Melanie. Night-uh." He added for good measure before leaving, shutting the door behind him.

‹'Night, Melanie.› I thought kindly as I got under the covers.

‹Bonsoir, Exaff.› I heard back.

* * *

"Nine Inch Nails?" I asked quickly. Marco and I were outside his house, playing basketball. He had just proposed the idiotic idea of morphing dogs to sneak into a live concert that would be playing in a few hours. "You are sure they'll be there?" I had a fondness for their music since coming to Earth. Some of their instruments reminded me of my natural Yeerk language. I told as much to Marco, who brightened at that. He knew then that he could win me over.

"Oh yeah," Marco said happily "Nine Inch Nails, Godsmack, lots of Yeerkish music there. So much so that you'd swear there was a whole Pool full of conversation. Besides, there's no law against dogs going into a concert. They don't have tickets for dogs."

_Damn him_, I thought weakly. He knew I was weakening. "Marco?" I said staring at him.

"Yes my princess?" He knew that annoyed me to no end. He had taken to calling me Princess, since Elfangor was my Prince. The connotations were disturbing, and he knew that too.

"What did you do to your hair?" I snapped.

"You just noticed? Looks cool, huh?" Marco ran a hand through his hair, then stopped and lowered it, fixing me with a look. "Is that Melanie or Exaff? I can never keep you two straight. Half the time it's like you two trade off, the other times it's like you randomly put in on the other. This is monumentally important, I _must_ know which one of you it is this time!"

I sent him a dirty look. "What would you say if I told you it's Exaff?" I was extremely annoyed when he immediately changed the subject. But I went along with it. I was irritated with myself at some level. Inter-species relationships couldn't possibly work.

Wait, did I just practically admit to wanting a relationship with the idiotic, low life, joke of a boy?

‹You did. And he's not that bad.› Melanie said with a giggle.

‹He is! He's Marco!› I said back.

"Hey, uh, Earth to alien girl?" Marco waved a hand in front of my face. "You okay in there? Did you trip over a neuron?"

"I thought you didn't pay attention in school, Marco." I shot back at him. "I'm sorry. Let's go to this concert of yours. You know you'd make a fantastique Yeerk."

We morphed and set off, and I wondered whether Marco was taking what I said as a compliment or something else. Knowing Marco, it was something else entirely.

We snuck in between the stands and roamed around doing typical dog activities, but we were both listening to the music as we went. To my dog ears, it seemed to be ten times louder than it normally would have. Hey, I can understand the lyrics now! Marco said.

Magnifique. I answered happily. I sniffed at a familiar looking boy who was handing out flyers for The Sharing, and then I froze up on the spot. There was nothing to smell. It was as if there were a black hole around him. I could smell the people he had touched, I could smell the food on him, but I couldn't smell _him_

_Impossible. This is impossible._ ‹Marco. Come over here and smell this boy. Tell me what you smell.› Marco grumbled about that, then did so a second later.

‹Woah! This guy has nothing! I mean I'm getting nothing off this guy! No gym odor, no sweat!›

‹Yes, but do you recognize him?› I asked impatiently.

‹Yeah,› Marco said as he racked his brains ‹He's Erek King, some guy who dropped out of school a few months ago.›

Erek was smiling and handing out flyers to anyone who would take one. He reached down to pet me, still smiling. I growled and pulled back. He shrugged and walked on his way to pass out more flyers.

‹We have got to tell the others about this.› I said to Marco.

* * *

"What do you mean the guy didn't smell?" Rachel demanded.

"I mean he didn't smell." I repeated patiently "There was like a black hole of smell around this guy. Nothing."

It was later that evening. Marco and I had called a meeting at Elfangor's house. Now everyone except Ax was here. He was out grazing, Elfangor had said. I didn't comment on that.

"You're sure he didn't smell?" Elfangor questioned, looking to be deep in thought.

"Yes, my Prince."

"Do you think the Yeerks are making some kind of anti-smell barrier or something?" Marco asked Elfangor. I rolled my eyes at that.

"What purpose would we have for that?" I told him with a laugh. Then I realized my error. "They...What..Purpose would _they_ have for that. Sorry."

‹It is alright.› Elfangor told me softly in private thought-speak.

"Moving on." Jake said a little too loudly. "So what does it mean when a kid doesn't smell Human?"

"Hmmm." Rachel pretended to think. "There are plenty of times Marco doesn't smell Human." A smirk came across her face. "Then again, maybe it's because you have such a small monkey living on top of your head."

Cassie and Tobias tried and failed not to laugh.

I ignored it all though. This was serious and important. Elfangor felt the same way, as he said "Children, that is enough."

"Mel still smells Human, even with Exaff." Tobias said quietly "So I don't know why the Empire would need to invent something to block out smell."

The others thought that over. Elfangor gave his familiar smile. "Very observant of you Tobias." He told the boy warmly. Tobias blushed at the praise. I was left floundering, trying to figure out if I was insulted or not. "However, I will find and approach Erek King. You will continue on as you are. I do not think we should waste ourselves on such a minor anomaly." We all agreed that was the best course of action, and the meeting broke up.

"You trying to track down Erek?" Jake said as he came into my room and sat down beside me on my bed. I was intently using my laptop. I looked up at him briefly.

"Yes."

"Even though Elfangor said he'd handle it?" Jake frowned.

"Yes." I repeated.

"Why?" He asked, still frowning at me.

I set the laptop aside in exasperation. "Because if he gets into trouble and we have no clue where he is who's going to be there to drag his corpse out? I won't leave his safety to chance."

Jake seemed to accept that, and he placed his hand on my leg. I flinched and shoved him away in an instant, feeling a wave of terror shoot through me. He fell on the floor hard, and I immediately was ashamed at myself. "I'm sorry, Jake! I don't know what came over me." I said honestly.

He got up and gave me a rueful smile. "It's okay Mel. I shouldn't have touched you." I noted the use of Melanie for the hundredth time, but I didn't say anything about it. The other Humans seemed to find it easier to call me Melanie than Exaff and Melanie. They had spent so long being used to the idea of me being just Melanie, that they found it hard to use any other name.

"No, you shouldn't have." Melanie said, using our mouth. I gently took control again. "Why don't we go for a walk?" I suggested to Jake.

He gave a surprised look. "A walk? Just a walk?"

"Yeah," I said with a little smirk "You do still remember how to walk don't you? All this time spent flying hasn't addled your Human brain has it?"

"Of course I do."

‹He didn't say anything about the brains.› Melanie said silently to me.

We walked together down the sidewalk. We weren't going anywhere in particular, just talking. Then it happened. We saw him again.

"Hey! It's Erek!" I pointed out to Jake. Erek was further down the street. Surrounded by four boys. There was no doubt about it, they were bullying him.

"We should help him out." Jake said in his "Combat mode" voice.

"No, we can't." I argued. "We can't put ourselves on the radar, and Elfangor SAID he'd handle it, remember?"

"What's your problem with Erek?" Jake asked, still keeping an eye on the situation.

"My problem? My problem is that I don't think we should be helping the enemy." I said heatedly.

Jake laughed at that, and it wasn't a nice laugh. "Wasn't so long ago that I was the enemy."

I froze. He was completely right. "Fine, let's go."

Just as we were setting off toward them, one of the boys pushed Erek. Erek fell off the curb just as a bus passed by. Erek hit the bus, and just for a second I saw him flicker. As if he were a badly powered holographic message. I glimpsed shining metal and wiring, and then he was the boy Erek again.

The realization hit me then like the bus that had just hit Erek. "Jake, Erek is an android."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Rights to Animorphs and its respective characters belong to the respective parties.  
Warning: Minor adult content in some chapters. and swearing. Also, a higher-than-likely chance that things may be lifted directly from the text without warning, scenarios imitated, battles poorly written. Also, long chapters. The story generally follows the series!

A/N: From book 10 The Android to Book 20, the start of the David-Is-A-Sociopath-Trilogy

Type: AU

Summary: How would the war have gone if Elfangor decided to hightail it out of there when the Animorphs came across his ship, ensuring his survival? Not interesting enough for you? Hear this then: What would have happened if a Controller was there too, and became the sixth Animorph?

Read this to find out! Follow along from book one to book fifty four. And beyond.

Yadda yadda words words words! Super Chapter 2 is finished on time! YAY! ENJOY AND REVIEW!

Yadda yadda READ IT I WORKED HARD ON IT! :D

Also note: Oh my god I can't believe I've done each of these Super Chapters in two days each!

I know I won't always have the drive to keep this two days a super chapter up, so please don't get mad if it's like a week or something later on if I don't update!

End of A/N

* * *

"Erek King is an android?" Said Rachel skeptically.

"We both saw it." I told her coolly. "Actually, all three of us did." Melanie put in. That seemed to persuade Rachel.

"Is anyone else creeped out when they do that?" Marco stage-whispered, knowing for a fact that everyone could hear him.

I laughed to let him know it hadn't hurt me. I turned to Elfangor. "What do you think?"

"I believe you, all of you." He said reassuringly. "I suggest we go to meet with Erek. He might be the only one, or there might be hundreds more. They might be allies, or enemies. We must be certain of every variable. Into your flight morphs. Let's go see this android."

Elfangor decided him and I would be the ones to enter the house together, with Aximili and the other Animorphs staying outside as backup in case things went crazy. Which, as Marco pointed out, it usually did.

I knocked on the door and only had waited two seconds before it opened and revealed a man who I assumed was Erek's father, or at least an android pretending to be his father.

‹Or he could _be_ Erek. He can create holograms on a whim.› Melanie chided, having listened in on my thoughts.

_Oh...So that's what that feels like._ I resolved to not listen in on Melanie's thoughts as much as I could help it from here on out.

"Hello, can I help you?" The man asked Elfangor and I. Elfangor gave a polite nod of the head.

"Yes," Elfangor replied neutrally "We're looking for Erek King. Are you Mr. King?"

"I am." Erek's father smiled. "Would you like to step inside? Erek is home."

We both nodded and followed Mr. King in. I stayed close to Elfangor as we took up seats in the living room. Mr. King sat in a chair across from us.

"Why do you want to speak to my son?" Asked Mr. King.

‹I believe bluntness will work best here.› Elfangor told me privately. I didn't nod, but instead I said aloud "I know your son is an android Mr. King. I saw his hologram fail when he collided with a bus the other day."

Mr. King stared at me for a moment, then his face broke into a smile. "I see. And you Andalites were naturally curious about that. You don't mean us any harm do you?"

I bristled at being called an Andalite and couldn't help myself. "He's an Andalite." I pointed at Elfangor, then at myself "I am a Yeerk. And you're an android too aren't you? So we're one big happy etraterrestrial family here."

Elfangor threw me an angry look. "What are you doing?"

I stared back at him in minor defiance. "You said to be blunt." I turned back to Mr. King. "But you're right, we're not going to harm you. That is, we won't if you aren't allies of the Yeerk Empire."

"Very blunt." A voice said from the kitchen. It was followed by the appearance of none other than Erek King. His hologram was up. "I appreciate it. Let me be blunt too. I'd like to know how an Andalite and a Yeerk came to be allied. No, I want proof that that man really is an Andalite and not just another Controller."

Elfangor obliged by demorphing and then remorphing to Human. For my part, I wriggled out of Melanie's head and lay in Elfangor's hands for a minute, though it seemed like longer. Elfangor told me in private thought-speak that if I, a Yeerk, could literally put my life in his Andalite hands, anyone would believe us.

Indeed, when I reentered Melanie the androids accepted us and told us of their history on and off Earth. They took us down into massive underground park that was strangely (or not so strangely) full of dogs. They told us of their programmed pacifism, though Elfangor caused a little fight over the fact that inaction was as much a cause of death and pain than action could be. It was then that I realized for however old, however knowledgeable these androids were, they were still innocent and naive. That could make them dangerous, Elfangor had said to me as we drove back to his house.

"How did it go?" Tobias asked, bounding up to us as we came through the door.

"fantastiquement." I told him by way of greeting.

"Great." He said nervously.

Elfangor made straight for the kitchen. Ax shot me a furtive glance from behind Tobias. "Well. Good night." I said awkwardly. I went up to the guest room. Aximili joined me shortly after.

"What?" It was the only thing I could think of to say.

"Nothing." Ax said.

Now I was annoyed. "If it's nothing then why all the looks, why dd you come in here?"

He backtracked immediately to avoid my ire. "I had meant, Tobias was worried for you."

I was temporarily speechless, but I felt pleased at Aximili's proclamation. "Why didn't he tell me? Did I say something wrong to him?"

Ax looked perturbed. "No. I do not think so at least."_ That's comforting,_ I sarcastically thought. "Tobias often has difficulties talking to females."

"WHAT?"

"I did not mean to cause you to be upset. It is merely...He wished for me to speak to you about this." Ax finished lamely.

I sat in silence for a while, thinking hard. "I didn't know you two were that close." I finally said, giving a laugh.

Ax was relieved. "I have at times considered him my shorm. That is the Andalite equivalent of a best friend on Earth."

"I had a best friend, in the Empire." I said quietly, daring to remember. "His name was Zanda three-three-five of the Hasheer Pool. We were in the same Pool, most of the same battles. I don't know how many times we saved each others' lives. I came to Earth in part because he was sent here, and partially because this is probably the safest place in the universe right now. But he's dead now."

Ax was having an internal battle, it seemed. I didn't know if I raised his hatred and disgust again with what I said, but when he spoke it was in a hushed tone "I am sorry. It is difficult to lose a fellow warrior."

_Even more difficult to kill them yourself._ I thought.

"Can we discuss food now?" Ax asked hopefully. We spent a whole hour together doing just that. Neither of us noticed Elfangor passing by the door every few minutes.

-  
"Come on, when was the last time we ever just had fun?" Marco was saying. "It's mid-summer!"

I shrugged. "My idea of fun isn't morphing a rat and sneaking into a pool party that I wasn't invited to."

Marco groaned. He turned to Jake, then Cassie and Tobias. "Do any of you know how to have fun? Darlene will be there!"

"Who is Darlene?" Ax interrupted. "Leen."

"Ax-man, the mouth sounds stopped being funny weeks ago." He gave a fake sigh. "Darlene is one of the most beautiful, talented girls in the school. Her parents are hosting the party! We gotta gate crash that stuff. Are you in?"

Ax hesitated. "Will there be food? Human television often depicts party events as having a large abundance of food." Everyone laughed, except for Marco. He sprang onto the opportunity ruthlessly.

"Lots of food! So much food Ax. You have no idea. So are you in?"

"I suppose." Ax said carefully. He looked frightened as Elfangor entered the room.

"What are you children doing?" Prince Elfangor asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Marco and I are-" Ax started before being cut off by Marco.

"I was invited to a pool party and I thought I'd invite Ax along too, all the food and stuff. I'll keep him in line Elfangor." Ax shot him a mutinous look, but stayed quiet.

"I see." Said Elfangor. "I suppose I should accompany you to this party."

"WHAT?!" Marco exclaimed. "No way! We don't need a babysitter!"

"I was under the impression that was how Human adults went about behaving when children gathered together for such activities." Elfangor said seriously.

"No!" Marco cried out vehemently. "Totally not how it works Elfangor! You know how TV is these days, always exaggerating."

I could tell Prince Elfangor wasn't fooled, he'd have to be an idiot, which he wasn't. But he played along nonetheless. "If you say so. You have lived a life on Earth far longer than I. I will adhere to your experience and wisdom."

Marco sighed in relief and led Ax out the front door. Though I heard Ax say he had to return to the meadow first to graze. Cassie and Jake said they had animal business to take care of in the barn and left too. Rachel followed, saying she had to get to the school for her gymnastics camp trip.

It was me, Melanie, Tobias and Elfangor alone again. "Is it just me, or do they seem to always have way more stuff to do than us?" Melanie said offhandedly. "We're like a little family of stick in the muds."

"Perhaps we should change that?" Elfangor suggested. "Tobias? How about we all go out to the mall for some ice cream?"

"I can't argue with that." Tobias said, smiling.

"Ice cream IS a good food." I admitted with no trouble "Taste is a wonderful thing." Elfangor dipped his head in agreement.

* * *

Three days later, I found myself thinking about doing something I knew I really shouldn't. Something that went against everything I stood for, or WOULD stand for in the future, according to Elfangor. I hid these thoughts away from Melanie very carefully.

When I was done feeding in the Pool Elfangor had set up for me in the basement, I went outside and got on my bike. I drove to the mall. I was going to meet with a friend of mine from school who wasn't one of the Animorphs. What I had in mind was insane. But I wanted to do this. Maybe I even had to, I argued with myself. If I could do what I had in mind, it would actually aid the peace cause, I told myself. It wasn't like I was going to infest him forcefully. And wasn't that the main thing that set apart the Empire and all those little peace movements?

I leaned in close to the guy in the restaurant booth. His name was Brandon. He was tall, a basketball player, and a year older than me. "Listen carefully." I started out in a near whisper. "I'm not who you think I am." Melanie finally pieced it together.

‹I won't be held responsible for whatever happens.› She told me resignedly, knowing she couldn't affect my decision at this point.

"Yeah?" Brandon said in confusion. Then his face cleared. "You're not Melanie, I get it. You're Christy! The identical twin swap!" He burst out laughing. "How did I not notice? Nice joke. How long has this been going on?"

I nearly face-palmed myself, then regathered my thoughts. That _did_ seem like what I was setting him up for, from a Human viewpoint. "That's not it Brandon. I'm...Something else. I'm not from Earth."

He laughed again, and I felt a flash of irritation. "You pretending to be an alien or something? Come on, we're not in kindergarten anymore Mel. That's grade school crap."

"Listen you twit," I hissed angrily. "I'm a member of a parasitic alien species called the Yeerks, currently your friend Melanie is my partner. She agreed to let me infest her and use her body. I'm actually the-" I bit my lip. It was going to kill me to say what I would next. "I'm the slug-like creature in her head. Like a caterpillar in appearance."

He sat back, seeing that I was entirely serious. Then came the words I had hoped for. "Prove it." Maybe he was just humoring me, I didn't care. I led him into one of the storage rooms and locked the door, putting the key in my pocket. If Marco were here, I knew exactly the kind of jokes he'd be making. I was eternally grateful to the Gods, or at least Ellimists, that he would never find out about this scenario.

"You're going to be freaked out, you're going to want to scream, but don't. Trust me." I warned the kid. I took a deep breath. "Watch closely." I turned my head sideways and took a step closer to him.

Then I detached from Melanie's brain. I slid out of her ear and felt the vibrations, no doubt the guy's pointless terrified screaming. I felt movement and pressure and wondered where I was. I laid there for I don't know how long until I felt the familiar warmth of Melanie's ear canal. I pushed forward and wrapped around her brain again. When my vision flickered on, I looked around. Brandon was sitting on the floor and looked a sickly pale color. I was disgusted to learn that he actually _had_ been sick.

I crouched in front of him. "Now do you believe me?" He gave a meek nod, and I took his shaking hand in mine.

"What now?" He asked.

"Now I tell you everything else." I replied firmly. "You're taking it remarkably well for a Human who's just had his entire world rocked."

I sat with him and told him all the little details of my life. I told him about the Empire. I told him about the Andalites. I told him about the war on Earth. I finally told him about the Animorphs and Elfangor. Brandon listened intently, not making a sound until after I had finished.

"Are you alright?" I asked him, afraid that I'd scared him into a coma or something.

"This...Is...Awesome!" He grinned widely and slapped me on the back. "Me, friends with a freaking alien this entire time and not even knowing it! I feel so stupid. You've been out fighting an alien Empire and I've been here wondering how to avoid the lunch lady."

"Yes yes it's all very fascinating." I said, trying to curb his enthusiasm. I didn't want someone to overhear us. "Now if you promise to behave yourself and not make any sudden movements, I'll take you to visit the Animorphs and my Prince."

"I had no idea about The Sharing." He said for the millionth time as we approached Elfangor's house. "Glad I never joined those alien freaks! I mean I was almost a full member! I would've been enslaved!"

"Mhm." I said absently.

"And principal Chapman, holy cow. Poor guy."

"Yep." I was relieved to see that Elfangor wasn't here. I was fairly sure he would have been waiting out here to scream at me if he was.

"Come on. They won't kill you." Hopefully not, anyway.

Thankfully Tobias was the only one in the house. He came down the stairs when he heard me and Brandon come in. He stared between us for almost too long a time. "Who's this?" He asked, carefully keeping his voice casual. But I knew him better than that.

"This is Brandon. Brandon, Tobias." I introduced. "Tobias is one of the Animorphs I was telling you about."

"Holy crap!" Brandon rushed up to Tobias and started shaking his hand as if he were some celebrity. I swear I almost thought he'd ask for an autograph. Tobias was nonplussed. I was glad of that, because at least it meant he wasn't angry. "You have my complete and total respect dude. Protector of the planet!"

"Alright, that's enough." I stepped in, pulling Brandon back. My gaze lingered on Tobias for a heartbeat. His face said it all: Explain. "Brandon is one of mine and Melanie's friends from school. He was getting too close to The Sharing, and they would have taken him had I not intervened today. I had to." I searched for an analogy to use as a weapon, and found one in Jake. "What about jake, Tobias? Do you think he'd stop at anything to rescue his brother Tom if he was going to be taken?" Overall, I was pleased with myself as I saw Tobias's expression soften. He smiled. Besides, it wasn't like anything I had just said was a lie. It was entirely true, from a certain point of view.

"Makes sense." He said. I could tell I had gotten to him with the Jake analogy. I just hoped it would work on Elfangor and the others.

"Exy?" Bradon's voice broke into my thoughts.

"Exaff," I corrected patiently "What is it?"

"Can you do that thing again that you did before?" He asked, his voice going so quiet at the end I barely heard it.

"You mean leave Melanie's body?" I said in surprise. He nodded. "You puked last time, ask yourself if you want to risk that. Stay here for a second." I waltzed up to Tobias and dragged him upstairs, ignoring his protests.

"What did I do?" Tobias cried as I unceremoniously threw him into my room.

"You? Nothing." Yet. "I just want to ask you something very personal."

"Alright." Tobias said shyly.

Here goes nothing. "Would you ever...Let me inside you?" It took a full five seconds for me to realize how wrong that sounded. Tobias blushed more than I'd ever seen him before and started laughing. "Oh shut up!" I snapped in disgust, but I was trying not to laugh myself."I meant would you ever let me infest you, knowing that I'm extremely different from other Yeerks."

I gave him a few moments, and just when I thought he wouldn't say anything, he did. "Does it hurt?"

"No." Then I decided to answer honestly. "For about the first two or three seconds, but after that I excrete a numbing agent, making it totally painless the rest of the way to your brain. And Melanie says it gets easier after a time, like having a piercing."

Tobias stared into my eyes, seeming to search my soul, or Melanie's. "You wouldn't go through my memories or anything like that would you?" I remembered his uncle and nodded at that. I wouldn't want to see that. "Then yeah. I would let you infest me."

"How about right now then." I said in a heartbeat.

"R-R-Right now?" Tobias stuttered, his voice full of nervousness. I was relieved that I didn't hear anything like fear in there.

"Right now." I agreed. "What better time than now? Come on. Just think of the pranks we can play on Marco and the others when they get back from their Summer fun." I added with a wink.

"It would be fun to get the joke on Marco for once..." Tobias said, a grin coming onto his face. "So how do we..How do we..Do this?"

I giggled and gently held his head. "Like this. Just don't panic or you'll rip me in half and spill my guts all over the bedroom floor." I said seriously. Tobias was horrified. I turned his head sideways and pressed my ear against his. Then I detached from Melanie for the third time today. I slithered through her ear canal and felt the air around me, then I stretched on into Tobias's ear. I felt myself fully leave Melanie, and I immediately numbed Tobias's ear canal and pushed forward.

And then I was here. I wrapped myself fully around Tobias's brain, but didn't dare touch anything. I wanted him to get used to it before I seized control. I started by directing a stray thought to Tobias's mental presence.

‹Hello Tobais.›

‹Hi...› He seemed to be at a loss for words at what he'd experienced.

‹I'm not going to try controlling you or anything like that for a few moments here, okay? I'll give you time to adjust. For now, we can just talk, and you can move around or whatever you want to do.›

‹Do you..Want to see things and hear things?› He said cautiously.

‹I'd like to.›

‹Then you have permission to use my eyes and ears.› He told me. I heard the sly grin in his thoughts.

I reached out a palp and accessed the senses. I saw Melanie sitting on the bed rubbing a finger in her ear. "I feel strange. Empty almost." She looked up at me/Tobias and smiled. "Bonjour in there, Exaff. How is it?"

"Strange." Tobias said, answering for both of us. Tobias moved us out of the room and downstairs. We found Brandon toying with the flat screen TV. He looked at me/Tobias. His eyes flickered to the stairs.

"Where's the alien?" He mumbled. Tobias stopped himself from outwardly grinning.

"She's around." Said Tobias. Suddenly we heard a noise outside. Tobias moved us to the window, and I could see out. It was Rachel, Jake and Cassie. "It's your lucky day Brandon. Three of the other Animorphs are back."

The guy's face lit up like a christmas tree.

Tobias and I stayed paired together for the full three days. The other Animorphs and Elfangor accepted it. Elfangor in particular was encouraging of it, saying it was a step in the right direction of peace and understanding between species. He smiled when Tobias told him it was nice having someone else in your head, though he made me withdraw access of his eyes and ears when he took care of personal business.

Tobias showed me memories sometimes, like the first time we met, among other things. I was overjoyed at the time we spent together. Tobias himself nearly begged me to stay with him before I went to feed again. But I told him that I had to go back to Melanie. She had been strange over the past three days, and I knew exactly why. She was depressed. She had been depressed before she volunteered to become a Controller. She was depressed again now without me to care for her. She was close to killing herself when I first infested her. In being how I was, I had saved her life, and now it seemed like I would have to do it again. I couldn't let her live so sadly, be so self tormented.

I entered Melanie, and she hugged herself, saying it was for both of us since she couldn't really hug me.

‹I missed you too.› I said with a little laugh. I was happy being back with her as well. I liked the familiarity of her mind.

I was just stepping into the living room when Elfangor appeared in front of me. I bumped into him and quickly apologized.

"It is fine, Melanie." He told me, giving me a smile. "I was just going to find you. The Chee have given us intel."

I was instantly alert. "What is it?"

"Two Hork-Bajir have been spotted in the forest. One of the Chee that works for a logging company says he saw them running through the trees a few minutes ago." Elfangor explained.

"So?" I said flippantly. Why would two Hork-Bajir matter to us?

"Free Hork-Bajir." Elfangor clarified.

_Oh my_. "Then why didn't he lead them to safety or something?" I bit my lip without realizing. "Where are the others Animorphs?"

"They are attempting to lead the two Hork-Bajir to safety." My face fell. "I have the utmost confidence in them, and you should as well." Elfangor told me in a calming voice. "It is high time they go on a mission on their own. After all, I will not always be around to lead you. Situations may arise, I may be killed. But I will not always be here to lead you."

"What do we do?" I asked. I gestured between us.

"Watch a movie." Elfangor said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Tobias woke up an hour later and came down to join us. His reaction was much the same as mine when I filled him in on what was going on.

It wasn't until around three more hours that the other Animorphs stumbled into the house.

Elfangor, Tobias and I were up in a heartbeat. They told us how they had evaded helicopters and Taxxon, as well as Visser Three himself and led the Hork-Bajir into a cave in a mountain. They had confirmed they were free in a disgusting way, and then were told to wait there for the night. Aximili said something about how the male Hork-Bajir Jara Hamee had told him that Andalites had never helped Hork-Bajir before. Elfangor's face drained of color, and he briefly explained about the horrors on the Hork-Bajir world. Aximili was as upset as his brother. A quantum virus! He had screeched, nearly refusing to believe that Andalites had done such a terrible thing. But he would not call his brother a liar.

"Well done, Animorphs." Elfangor said proudly right before they left for home.

Tobias and I headed up the stairs together, then went to our separate bedrooms. I drowsily reflected on the fact that I was practically living over here for the summer, and that altogether I didn't mind it in the slightest.

The following morning everyone was at the cave with the Hork-Bajir, trying to think of somewhere to hide them more permanently.

"You know, there is this valley I spied the other day." Jake suggested. "It's just over the mountains, and you can't see it from above. There's this large bunch of trees overhead that completely hide it. There's a river running through it as well, and a few caves down in there. I only found it because I was trying to find a place to hide from the Controllers."

Elfangor agreed that it was the best option. So did the Hork-Bajir.

When we arrived there, the Hork-Bajir were ecstatic. To them, it was perfect. I might have agreed, if I were in a Hork-Bajir host.

"We fellanna...We thank you." Jara's mate, Ket Halpak, told us.

Think nothing of it. Elfangor said back. I could tell he was having personal problems with them as much as I was.

Though not having nearly as much success at masking them as me. We spent the day there with the Hork-Bajir, checking that the valley was indeed as obscure and hidden as Jake had said. It turned out it was. No matter what angle or direction we came at it, we couldn't tell it was there until we actually entered into the valley.

After a while we headed back to the city, content with another successful mission under our belts. I veered off, however, and flew out to Elfangor's old scoop, now Aximili's, I reminded myself.

I found him there inside. Maybe he was waiting for me, but then maybe he wasn't. Why did it matter to me anyway?

I demorphed to Human. "Hello Ax." I greeted.

‹Hello Exaff and Melanie.› Ax responded, his eyes crossing in that intriguing Andalite smile. ‹I hope you are well.›

"We are. I just wanted to visit you. I don't want you to feel lonely out here on your own."

‹I am not lonely.› Ax reassured me. ‹Andalite warriors are used to deep periods of isolation in space. We are accustomed to it.›

"Ax. Do you ever think of me as a Yeerk anymore? I mean, I've been almost ignoring that you're an Andalite. Do you do the same thing to me?"

‹Your species has not been the most important thing on my mind when I talk to you in quite a while. I have seen how you are with Melanie, how Tobias let you in, and how the Human Brandon regards you. How Elfangor speaks to and of you. I know how I feel about the Humans.› Ax paused, as if he thought I'd interrupt him, then he finished hurriedly ‹I accept you as a creature who just happened to have the misfortune to be born Yeerk.›

"Do you think we could ever have peace? Between Andalites and Yeerks?" I was almost afraid of what his answer would be, but whatever it would be I still wanted to know.

‹I think that some Andalites and some Yeerks could have peace.› Ax answered truthfully. ‹Not all of them. Not everyone agrees with everything.›

I smiled. "I think that would be enough for me."

Suddenly a bird landed outside the scoop. Ax turned a stalk eye to the creature. ‹Cassie's gone missing.› Jake said.

"How?" I asked him. "Weren't you just flying home with her?

‹I'm not sure. One minute I was with her and the next she was just gone!›

Ax and I morphed birds and joined him in the search. We searched the whole day but we still couldn't find her. Jake wanted us to keep going, but Ax said we wouldn't be as effective searchers in the dark, and that we did have families to go back to. I was grateful for that. I didn't want Jake to get lost in there himself.

I flew around for a few minutes and decided to just go home. My family didn't see enough of me these days. Our family. Melanie reminded me. To make the long flight more interesting, I dove down and started to skim between trees like a spacecraft in an obstacle course. I weaved and ducked through the branches and around the trunks, giddy now from the adrenaline coursing through me. I did a barrel roll over a stray branch.

And didn't see the one hidden by leaves almost directly behind it.

Instantly, the world went dark.

* * *

I woke up.

I was laying flat on my back. I opened my eyes and saw I was in a forest. It felt familiar, as if I'd been here before. But where was here? The sun was starting to go down. _Just one sun?_ Wait..Why did I think that? What was wrong with one sun?

I started panicking. I got up and tried to calm down, but it wasn't working. How did I get here? Where was HERE? Why was...I can't remember! I can't remember, damnit!

What's going _on_?!

My arms starting moving on their own, I heard a voice in my head! ‹WHAT'S HAPPENING? Oh my god! Why wouldn't it stop? Why would I want to stop?›

My hands started clawing at my skull. ‹Get out of my head!› The voice screamed! But. Wasn't this-

‹Get out of MY head!› I yelled back, terrified. Was I possessed? Was this a demon? A ghost? How did I know what those even were? Images flashed through my head, but I had no idea where they had come from, or how I knew them.

I wrenched my arms to my sides. ‹_STOP IT AND GET OUT RIGHT NOW! GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!›_ The other voice screeched. The hands shook, and I fought harder against "The Other".

‹Okay stop! I shouted back angrily, desperately. ‹Whatever the hell you are, you can communicate so do it! PLEASE! Just stop fighting me!›

‹Get out of my head you alien freak.› The Voice said, though in a much quieter tone. The voice, I was surprised to realize, was female. How did I even know what female was for an alien?

‹Why do you assume I'M the alien here? How did you get inside my head?›

A rush of thoughts burst through. _How do you know this is your head? This isn't...It's_ MINE_. I can feel...There's something _IN_ me..Oh my god..Think about it Melanie!_ It all ended as suddenly as it had begun.

‹My name is Melanie.› The Voice said to me, quiet at first, then louder and growing more excited. ‹That's it, I'm Melanie! That's me. I know it is!›

‹What does that make me?› I asked silently. The Voice went quiet.

‹I...I'm not sure.› The alien, Melanie, said back. ‹Maybe you're an alien, or an escaped government experiment, I don't care but I want you out of here. Please.›

‹I don't know how to do that, even if I wanted to. I struggled to stay calm as a wave of frustration bubbled up inside of me. ‹Look, I have to figure out what I am. Where I am. Who I am. So do you, so I suggest we work together to figure this out, and then we can go our separate ways. What's your species?› I asked suddenly.

‹I'm a Human.› The Voice said. This, She plucked at her shirt ‹Is my body. This is a Human body and I don't know what _you_ are but you're not supposed to be here! This is impossible! I don't know how I know but..I know.›

‹Fine...Fine.› I fought back the panic again. ‹So I'm the strange one here.› The oddity. _Ignore it, focus on the issue at hand._ I told myself. We have to find a way out of here. There has to be civilization somewhere. Though I wasn't even sure what constituted "Civilization" on a world where I clearly didn't belong.

An image flashed suddenly through my head..Melanie's head, thoughts..Argh! A flash of blue, trees whipping by wildly, the feeling of soaring through the air!

I felt the Human body change. I looked down at the hands. They were shrinking and sprouting feathers! Melanie let out a scream of horror and shut her, our, eyes. But still I felt the changes coming.

We shrunk, feathers sprouted out everywhere, internal organs shifted and soon it was over. Melanie stopped her screaming, and I opened the new eyes cautiously. A flash of a feathered, winged creature came to mind, along with a word: _Bird_.

‹An osprey.› Melanie whispered. ‹I'm a bird. This is a dream, I'm dreaming. This is impossible. No no no no no...› Her mind seemed to focus on me. I felt a massive surge of anger, but I knew it wasn't mine. ‹What the _hell_ did you do to me?! Change us back!›

I was about to respond when I felt a huge gust of wind. I snapped the creature's head to the side and looked into the distance with the incredibly powerful eyesight I now had. A giant cloud of dust was approaching rapidly, and it had teeth. Literal teeth! Teeth and blades and whirling mouths! All the trees were chewed to bits and pushed aside as it approached. I felt a thrill of absolute terror shoot through me. I felt the same from Melanie, and then I was strangely certain that whatever this thing was, it did _not_ belong here any more than I did.

Should I fly or run? Fly? Wait, wings! Yes I could! I hopped up and flapped my wings, and I was off! The dust storm creature's wind lifting me up into the air! I flapped and aimed above the trees! I was out and above the forest within moments.

I turned my head back and saw the dust monster pursuing me. But why? What had I done to make this creature want to kill me? Kill me...There was no doubt, it wanted to kill me! It was going to devour me and murder me!

I raced away as fast as I could, but it was faster. It ripped up entire trees as it ascended after me. I dived down again and skimmed the tree-line and suddenly I came across a road! I dipped down and glided along the street as fast as I could. I dodged sideways as a car nearly ran into me. I didn't see it get shredded by the dust monster. I didn't dare to look back again! But the sound of shrieking metal and the scream of another one of these Humans made me nearly stop flying.

‹NO! Whatever you do, DO. NOT. STOP!› Melanie yelled, terrified as she heard my thoughts.

I refocused just in time to fly between two diesels. _Zoom _out the other side! This time I _did_ look back. The trucks hit the dust monster. Or the dust monster hit them. The vehicles crumpled in the front, pieces of metal went flying as they were torn to bits.

‹HEY!› Melanie shouted in my head. I felt a horrible scraping against my chest and realized I was skimming the road. As soon as I did, I panicked and lost control. I tumbled through the air and skidded to a halt very painfully against the guard-rail. I heard loud cracks from inside the bird's body as I stopped, followed by explosions of faint-worthy pain. I let out a squawk, and Melanie moaned in our head. Oh god, we're going to die aren't we?! She cried. She jerked the bird's head up. The dust creature was right above us. It hovered there, seeing us, but not seeming to recognize us as the thing it had just been chasing. Then, just like that, it dissolved and blew away.

Melanie and I, the bird, laid there on the side of the road for what seemed like an hour, but was probably only a minute or two. As we did, the body inexplicably shifted back to Human. Then I realized why. Melanie's thoughts were on her Human form...Just as I had been thinking of some way to escape the dust creature! That was it! Whatever this shape changing power was, it was clearly influenced by thoughts!

‹Then we'd better be careful not to think about a fish or something.› Melanie told me cheerily. Avoiding imminent death seemed to have that effect on her. As soon as I thought that, I tried to remember just _how_ I knew that, as if it had happened before. But it was no use. It was as if there were a metal box encasing my memories, holding them separate from the rest of me.

‹I feel these sort of things too you know.› Melanie said quietly. She started to walk us down the road without me even realizing it. We were heading opposite the carnage.

I was confused. ‹What?›

‹The familiarity.› She replied. ‹As if we've been together longer than we know, as if we know each other before now. I think what we have is amnesia. I don't know how I know _that_ either. It's a medical condition. It means that we took a blow to the head or suffered some kind of other trauma that's causing us to forget things. We should remember more as time goes on though. Our amnesia should be temporary, as in short term. There was a special on TV about it. I'm not sure where or when I watched it.› She finished, frustrated.

‹If we follow this road I think we'll find a town or a city of some kind.›

‹I was thinking the same thing.› Melanie answered. I felt her mouth widen into a smile. Then it went away. ‹I would kill for some shoes. And proper clothing.› She said, making us look down at the body. Barefoot, shorts and a tank top.

‹The injuries went away from bird to Human.› I commented. ‹If our feet get hurt from all this travelling, we can just shape-shift to osprey and back again.› Melanie reluctantly agreed.

I turned at the sound of a slowly passing car and a call of "Hey! You okay kid?" An overweight blond guy with a mustache pulled up next to me, and as I got a better look at his face his identity popped into my head. _Principal Chapman_. I felt relief spread through my body. Melanie's body.

_At least we remembered something._ "Melanie Mathieu?" Chapman asked after a moment. Melanie made us smile again. "Are you lost? I can see the accident up ahead. My god, you weren't in that were you?" His face shifted into a look of genuine concern. Melanie took a few steps toward the vehicle.

"I was." Melanie said blankly "Do you think you could take me home Mr. Chapman?"

"Sure thing, miss Mathieu." Chapman gave an indulgent smile "I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you."

I felt a spike of mixed emotions from Melanie. But she didn't betray anything outwardly strange. ‹You know this Human, yes?› I questioned as we got in the passenger seat. ‹Why won't you tell him about the amnesia, and more importantly about me? Or that dust creature?›

‹Because.› She replied, ‹Something deep inside of me is telling me not to tell Chapman about any of that.›

‹Is there someone else inside your head that I should know about?› I joked.

That got a laugh out of her. ‹No. It's different than your connection with me. It's more like it's my subconscious mind. People here believe there's the conscious you that thinks and feels, and then there is the subconscious you. A version of you that can think, imagine, and break down and reason things at a level far greater than anything we can consciously do. And that subconsciousness is telling me what to do now.›

‹And you trust it? I asked in surprise.

‹I trust myself.›

Chapman did as he had promised. He dropped us off at, presumably, our house. Melanie stepped out of the car, thanked Chapman and tried to be casual about walking up to the door.

_Should I knock...No...I wouldn't knock on my own door, amnesia or no amnesia. I'll just explain to my parents...Whoever they are._

‹Your logic is confusing.› I told her as she opened the door. She took a hesitant few steps inside, then moved toward the living room. She didn't reply back.

Two adults were sitting on the couch. ‹My parents.› Melanie said needlessly.

"Where were you?" Her father demanded, standing. but he wasn't angry. He was upset.

Melanie bit her lip, but I didn't think she noticed. "I was out in the..In the forest. The woods. And I got lost and I just woke up and I don't remember ANYTHING!" Her words turned to shouts. "I walked for HOURS! HOURS! AND I CAN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING AND NOW HERE I AM AND I DON'T REMEMBER! I-I..." We fell to the floor, landing on our hands and knees. Her parents were down beside us in a flash. "I don't remember, where I live, or who I am or what I do or..My school or if I even go to school, or if I have family or siblings or anything! I just woke up this way in the middle of the woods! Then I was in a car crash on the road out there and I met my principal who I actually remembered I suppose, and then he drove me here and now here I am and I need help."

Melanie's mother took us into a hug, holding us as Melanie cried. ‹Melanie?› I asked. ‹I just remembered something.› No answer. ‹There are more of us. Shape-shifters. Aliens. We have to go find them. Maybe it'll help us get our memories to come back more.› More silence. Flash! I saw a small green worm-like creature disintegrate on a table. I saw a man writhing in pain, clutching his head and babbling incoherently. Then it was as if a hole was blasted into the metal container of memories. ‹Let's go! I only have three Earth days until I starve to death! I don't want that to happen, do you?! Who knows how long I have left! I have to..To find a...Pool.› Another flash of memory! I was pressing a button hidden inside a wall next to a closet and all of a sudden the wall disappeared. Inside was, I knew, a Yeerk Pool.

_I'm a Yeerk. That's what I am._ I seized control of Melanie's body, resisting her attempts to fight back. I ruthlessly crushed her will.

I calmly got up. "Mom, dad. Thank you. I want to go to my room and be alone." I ignored Melanie's screams. I rushed down the hall, bounded into my room and slammed the door shut. I locked it, then rushed over to the closet from my memory. I ran my hand along the wall where I remembered the button. A piece of wood retracted, then slide sideways. I pressed the button, and sure enough there was the Yeerk Pool. I stepped inside the closet and wondered what to do next. I felt a strange sensation of going through a tight space, a feeling of air, but strangely there was no vision. Then I felt myself, my true self. I was aware of myself wrapped around the brain of the Human. I felt my palps, I felt my connection and detached. I moved left, tunneling out of Melanie's ear, and I knew I was doing it right._ This feels right._

I flopped out and down into the Pool. I realized my mistake then. Yes I would live, but how would I get back to Melanie?

* * *

Melanie

* * *

I scrambled back, far far away from that closet. Get as far away as possible! Oh my god, holy..No. No no! That alien (There was no doubt in my mind now what that thing was) had just drilled through my _skull_! My ear! I knew I was hyperventilating, I knew I was in shock. _You have to calm down Melanie!_ I told myself frantically. But it did no good at all. It had taken all my willpower not to scream as that slimy thing had come out of my head. I had listened to my inner voice again. It told me that to scream would be to put my whole family in more danger than I could imagine, or remember.

I fell back onto my bed, trying to keep calm. The alien had said there were others like me. I had to find them, force them to explain all of this! But no, what if they had dumped me in the woods there? What if I was longer useful to them? What if I was a traitor to them? Too much to think about! I slammed my fist into my pillows again and again, trying to get the desperate clawing frustration, rage and sadness out of me. It wasn't enough, so I turned to the walls. I kicked and beat on them. I knocked over a lamp, pulled out the drawers of my dresser.

I spun around toward the closet. I slowly approached it. I looked into the little Pool at the little alien slug. I reached my hand in, picked up the creature in my palm. I shivered at the disgusting feeling it had...Slowly clenched my hand around it...

It gave a little mouse-like squeak. I cried out and dropped it to the floor, scrambling over onto my bed again. I watched it carefully. It just laid there.

I suddenly felt foolish. I was afraid of a little bug! I laughed out loud at my idiocy. It was an alien bug, but it was still a bug. I walked over and picked it up again. I held it level with my eyes and examined it.

‹Melanie! We were looking all over for you!› _Oh god not again!_ I thought in panic. But the voice was different this time. It was a male voice, and it didn't seem to originate from inside my head. It was more like it was being _directed_ at my head.

A red tailed hawk pecked its' beak against my window. I cautiously approached and opened it, letting it fly in and perch on my dresser. "You're one of the other shape-shifters. I said matter-of-factly. "Who are you? What do you want with me? Why did you leave me out there in the woods? Why are you here now? How did I get that..That alien thing in my head?!"

The bird's expression didn't soften. Of course it didn't. It was a bird. ‹What's going on Mel?› The bird asked in confusion.

"I woke up in the woods earlier today and I can't remember anything, and then there was this alien in my head," I indicated the slug in my hand. "And this other alien thing, this giant dust monster chased after me and.." I almost broke down again just thinking about it.

‹You don't remember anything? So what, like you have amnesia?›

I nodded.

‹Alright. That giant dust monster has been chasing all of us around too. It's attracted to the morphing.› The bird explained. ‹The shape-shifting. Whenever you shape-shift, it sends out a burst of energy that the monster can track down.›

"How did you get over here without having it tear down houses then?" I asked skeptically.

‹The other Animorphs are playing keep-away.› The bird answered patiently ‹Animorphs is what we call our little group. Animal morphers. I know you're probably scared and freaked out and gone through all kinds of Hell, but I need you to trust me. I'll demorph for you, okay?› The bird hopped to the floor, then dissolved and shifted into a boy my age with scraggly blond hair.

"I'm Tobias." He smiled at me, and I felt a flutter in the pit of my stomach in response. "Welcome back to the Animorphs."

"What about this?" I indicated the alien slug I was still holding.

Tobias looked troubled for a moment, then it passed. "That's Exaff. _she_ is your partner. It's a very long story."

I raised an eyebrow. "Then give me the short version."

Tobias's expression turned wry. "She was part of an alien Empire that's trying to take over Earth, and other worlds. But she defected and now works for the good guys. Us. The only ones defending Earth right now."

"What can a couple of animals and aliens do against an Empire?" I questioned.

"Whatever we can." Was his reply.

I looked down at the slug I held, the alien, Exaff, the female that I had almost murdered. I looked back up at Tobias. "So she was my partner?"

Tobias never lost his smile. "She still is."

"Okay." I took a deep breath and raised my hand up to my ear.

* * *

Exaff

* * *

As Tobias, Melanie and I walked to our alien leader's house, I looked through the memories of what I had missed while in the Pool.

‹I'm sorry Melanie.› I apologized.

‹It's alright. Exaff.› She laughed ‹We both did pretty rash things in our confusion and panic.›

When we came in, the other Animorphs were waiting for us. Tobias reintroduced me and Melanie to the others and eplained the situation. Melanie and I spent a little while talking to them before the leader Elfangor, said we had to get down to business.

"We have to find a way to stop this Veleek creature, as Visser Three called it." Prince Elfangor said. I learned from the others that Elfangor's brother Aximili had been captured by Visser Three. The Veleek monster had carried him onto the personal bladeship of the Visser, and Ax had to fight his way out. Elfangor was oddly proud of the fact that his brother had committed mass slaughter single handedly.

"We could drop an anvil on it." Marco suggested. He cowered under everyone's responding glares.

"That might actually work." Cassie said calmly. "The Visser used water against it, right? So what if we get it to chase us over into the ocean and then someone morphs something big, like a whale, and pulls it down into the water?"

"Who are you and what have you done with Cassie?" Rachel said good naturedly. "That's a Marco plan."

"Maybe Aftran rubbed off on me." Cassie said, blushing.

"Thanks Xena." Marco said brightly.

"Who's this Aftran?" I asked loudly.

Elfangor sighed. "While you were missing, Cassie was also missing. She was with a Controller. A Yeerk called Aftran within a little Human girl, Karen, who was also lost. Cassie convinced this Yeerk to turn away from the Empire. But the pressing matter is this Veleek. I suggest we all take a break before we decide to put this plan into action."

As soon as everyone left, the closet in the hallway opened slightly. Someone that could have easily been mistaken for Melanie stepped out of it and slipped out the back door with a glowing, blue cube held tightly in her hands.

Exactly five days later, we put the plan into motion. Each of us morphed birds and flew toward the ocean as if our lives depended on it. In our case, it really did. In a feat that impressed even Elfangor (A hard to impress alien), Cassie morphed from bird to Human and to whale, then dolphin all in one go. The Veleek dissolved completely, dragged down by the weight of the whale.

As for myself, with the help of my friends I had regained many memories. But there were still large pieces missing from the distant past. However, I took this as a positive. From what little I did remember of my time in the Empire, I wasn't anyone worth remembering.

Melanie, likewise, had regained almost everything she had lost.

We all had a meeting immediately afterward back at Elfangor and Tobias's house. Elfangor and Ax were in their true Andalite bodies, which could only mean it was the most terrible of news imaginable.

When Elfangor spoke the words, indeed, there was immediate uproar. "The morphing cube is GONE?"

"Who even knows about us?"

"Who would steal it? And why?"

"We'll find whoever it is and make 'em pay!" Rachel, of course.

‹Enough.› Elfangor said wearily. ‹This is a great loss, but it changes nothing for us. We will continue to do our utmost to save this planet, Escafil Device or not. And we will discover who has stolen it from us.›

‹Exaff? Have you noticed anything odd?› Aximili asked with all the subtlety of an Andalite.

Of course I should have expected this, I thought irritably. I did harbor dreams of doing this exact thing a few months ago. It was logical to assume I might have fallen back into my old ways, and I explained this to the Animorphs and Elfangor calmly, letting them sense my sincerity.

"We believe you." Cassie assured me.

"Which brings us back around to who actually did it." Said Jake.

"What about that Brandon guy?" Marco said off-handedly.

"He doesn't know anything about the morphing cube." I said back, giving Marco a withering look.

‹Indeed.› Elfangor agreed. ‹For now, unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about this.›

We spent the last month of summer-time hanging out with one another. Playing video games, basketball, talking. Normal things. We all agreed we deserved the vacation after everything that had happened over the summer. But some of us did abnormal things, I remembered fondly. I spent allot of time with Tobias and the free Hork-Bajir and actually worked past most of my issues with them. However, they were still annoyingly simple. Okay, perhaps I _hadn't_ worked past the issue just yet.

Regardless, on the last day we went to visit them before school started again, we were treated to a shock.

"Jara Ket have young." Jara Hamee said proudly. Ket Halpak agreed with him and showed Tobias and I to the little Hork-Bajir in a nearby cave.

"Hello little one." Tobias said, making his voice as none threatening as possible.

"Hello." I said dully after I got a sharp poke in the ribs from Tobias. I also offered the dandelions to the little Hork-Bajir that I had been forced to pick.

‹Is it a boy or a girl?› Melanie said in wonder. I mentally shrugged and relayed that information to Tobias.

"She's a girl." Tobias said with a silly grin. Of course he would take notice of that, given how much time he spent with the creatures.

"Yes, Jara and Ket name her Toby, after friend Tobias." Jara said happily.

Even I had to admit that was touching.

Little Toby picked the flowers delicately from my hand, and her parents left Tobias and I alone with her.

She seemed to tolerate our presence. She went about examining rocks, stripping bark and sometimes eyeing us curiously.

"Well. We must be going." I said lightly. I sent a meaningful glance Tobias's way.

The Hork-Bajir child grinned the Hork-Bajir grin. Then she spoke. "I appreciate your flowers, Exaff. As well as your greetings, Tobias."

"No way." I almost shouted. A Seer?! How- What were the odds? One hadn't been seen since the days of the Hork-Bajir world.

Tobias was confused. "What?" He said.

"She's a Seer. A..Genetic anomaly." I tried to find nice words to describe it. "She's as smart as the Arn race, the Andalites, and the Yeerks. Maybe smarter even. They only appear once every few hundred years." I smiled at Toby with newfound respect.

"Good bye, Toby." I said, giving a small bow of my head. "May your people flourish well and live prosperously."

"I very much hope so." She replied warmly.

* * *

It was the first day of the new school year when something very frightening happened. There was a new student in school. Not frightening for me or Melanie of course. We had been the new student ourselves last year. We knew how it was, so we found the time at the cafeteria to approach the new kid.

"Hey." I said, putting the smile on my face that was coming more and more naturally to me as time went on. ‹Don't say anything rude, or insulting, or alienish.› Melanie warned, half seriously, half joking.

"Uh. Hi." The new kid said. He had short dark hair, a black shirt with some rock band on the front, and black jeans.

‹I won't. Now shush and let me focus. Although he does look pretty emo.› I added as an afterthought.

"Can I sit here?" I said, already sitting down anyway. This _was_ a free country, after all.

"Sure." The kid said, shrugging and going back to his food.

I stared at him. "What's your name?" I said in an attempt to get the conversation going again. Not that what we just had could be called that!

"David." He replied indifferently.

"Are you new here?" I asked. I regretted it after Melanie mentally kicked me.

"Yeah." David said, sneering. "It must be so easy to pick me out like that, huh?"

Screw politeness. I was angry now. "If you're going to be that way I'll just go. I'm new here too, you jerk. I transferred at the end of last year, from France."

David didn't apologize, but he wasn't being a jerk anymore. Improvement. "I recognized the accent." Just then the bell rang for classes. I got up with David and followed him to his locker. I was determined to make friends with him.

When he opened his backpack, I saw something that couldn't possibly be there.

It was the morphing cube. David noticed me looking and shut his backpack quickly. "David. What is that thing?" I said, not pretending to be interested. I stepped close to him and subtly put my hand on his arm.

David smiled. "Not a clue. But it's pretty cool huh? Some big guy came up to me one day in the back alley behind my house over the summer, said I could keep it safe. Sell it for big money, more like." David's smile turned to a smirk.

"Sell it?" I repeated blankly.

"Yeah." He said casually. "I got an offer up for it on E-Bay. A quick hundred bucks. I reckon it's alien. It has these symbols on the sides that aren't like anything ever seen on Earth."

"Alien. Haha. Ha." I tried to think again, but my brain just wouldn't do it.

"See you later." He said, brushing past me to get to class.

I grabbed his arm, ignoring his death look. "Do you think we could...Hang out?" I flipped my hair over my shoulders the way I'd seen the females do in the movies and gave a radiant smile.

David smiled back, waited a moment, then- "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be cool." He walked away.

I stayed in class for ten minutes, then made an excuse to go to the bathroom. The teacher said yes, because I learned whenever a girl says they need to use the bathroom, nobody denies them. It worked in my favor this time.

I stopped by David's locker, trying to look casual, as if it were mine. I closed my eyes and dove down into the memory of a few minutes ago, focusing and slowing down where David turned the lock, as if it were a piece of film to me. ‹Very clever.› Melanie said appreciatively. ‹One of your Yeerk abilities comes in handy!›

I put my hand on the lock, reset it, and turned it just as David did. I took the blue box out, glancing left and right. I was so glad I wore a sweater today.

I didn't pay much attention in classes that afternoon. Understandably, right?

I caught up with Jake after school, volunteering to walk home with him. Partially because I had to talk to him about the morphing cube, but partially because I was dead certain David knew I took it, and he was going to do something about it. The glares and stalking Jake and I from afar were enough of a clue.

"Jake, this new kid in school, David, had the blue box." I said quietly. Every now and then I glanced back at David. Speaking of the devil, almost literally.

Jake's face went white as a sheet. "We have to get it back." He said in panic. I shushed him and pulled my hand halfway out of my sweater pouch. He smiled approvingly. "How?"

"I accessed Melanie's memory of standing in front of David's locker as he turned the combination and just kept rewinding and pausing it. Then I copied it." I recounted smugly. "Sometimes being a Yeerk has its' perks." I continued in a whisper. "What's more, David knows I took it. He's following us right now, and Jake, I don't think he's the type of kid to just ask nicely for things."

Jake nodded in understanding, sneaking a glance behind us himself. "We fight aliens on regular basis. I think between the two of us, we can handle one kid."

That backfired when we rounded the corner to a deserted street. The last stretch to Jake's house. David rushed up from behind and tackled me to the ground. Jake whipped around and shoved David off as I wrestled with him.

"Give me back my box!" David cried furiously. He threw a punch at Jake, who dodged and shoved out with both hands.

"Melanie, go!" He ordered. He didn't specify where. I knew where he meant. Just get to my house. You'll be safe there.

I started sprinting off down the rest of the way. Jake held David back and fought with the kid. I tried putting the sounds out of my mind. I was on the lawn of Jake's place when I heard a loud popping noise. Jake cried out in the distance. I could see he was holding a hand over the left side of his face. David pushed him back and charged after me. I turned and knocked frantically on the door. Jake's older brother answered with a strange look on his face.

"Hello? Who are you?" He asked me, infuriatingly slow.

"Sorry, but let me in!" I demanded. I tried to shove past him, but he held fast.

"Hey!" Tom said, annoyed. "If you're looking for Jake, wait for him out here-" POP POP POP!

I knew what did the damage to Jake's face now. I felt three sharp, painful impacts on the back of my head. David had a BB gun. A very expensive BB gun. "What the h-" Tom swore. He ducked and pulled me inside with him, then slammed and locked the door.

"Who is this punk?" He said angrily.

"Some new kid in school with anger management issues." I suggested as I rubbed the back of my head. I could tell it was bleeding as I took the three metal BB's out. Tom cautiously looked out the window. David was nowhere in sight. I heard the back door open and close, and readied myself.

It was just Jake. "Are you alright?" Tom asked upon seeing his brother's face. The BB was stuck in his cheek, bleeding and bruising. "You've made a real enemy, midget."

"I'm fine too, by the way. Thanks for asking." I said irritably. "I was only shot in the back of the head three times in a row. That jerk has fantastique aim."

‹It sure does hurt.› Melanie hissed. I felt the tears starting to well up in our eyes, and I stamped them out.

‹Don't make us cry.› I said back.

‹Sorry.› Came her meek reply.

"Hey, what's that sticking out of your sweater there?" Tom suddenly said.

I felt a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach before I even looked down at myself. He grabbed the morphing cube before I could react and looked at it. Jake was thunderstruck.

"Oh that. It's just a little project I'm doing for science class." I made up wildly. "It's a self sustaining neon cube."

"Cool." Tom said with a shrug. He handed it back to me, and I pocketed it again.

"Yeah." I said mildly. "I should really be going now. Thanks for the help. My parents will be wondering why I am late after the first day."

"No problem kiddo." Tom said cheerfully. "Ickle Jakey and I need to have a little talk." I heard him say as I left out the back door and set off down the alley.

Once I was sure no one was around, I morphed. But not to bird. I morphed into the dog I had used when I first encountered Erek. I bounded across the city, back to my house. I demorphed behind the trash cans and walked in.

It was dead silent inside, something odd for this house. "Mom? Dad?" I called out. No one answered. I shrugged and went up to my room. Melanie's sister was sitting on my bed, waiting for me. I thought nothing of it until my eyes instantly traveled to the closet. The force field and hologram devices were offline. The Yeerk Pool was in full view of my twin sister.

"I found that ages ago." She started out quietly. "At first I thought you were some government super spy, like in the movies." She gave a shrill laugh. "But then I discarded that idea. It was pathetic compared to the truth. I started following you, spying on you. I put a camera in your room a few weeks ago. I heard you talking to that bird. I saw you with that little slug thing."

I stayed silent.

"Then I found the house with all the others. I snuck in when you were all out, and waited." She continued. "I listened to everything."

Her voice cracked on the word "Everything".

"The truth is...You're not my sister." Tears started going down her face "You're an alien. The truth is, you hang out with other aliens. It's where you go all the time, why you're so busy all the time." She paused and wiped the tears away. Her expression hardened. "It's why you've been so much of an uncaring spiteful bitch."

She moved her hand from behind herself. It was gripping a handgun.

"Sorry...But I don't want an alien for a sister."

‹Oh my god...› Melanie breathed in horror. ‹No..No no no. This can't happen.›

"You stole the morphing cube." I stated softly "You gave it to that David kid. You morphed some guy and gave it to him."

Crystal said nothing. She brought the gun up and stood, pointing it right at my forehead. The tears came back full force. Her hand shook. "I'm sorry."

Her finger tightened slowly.

Melanie seized control "NO!"

Her sister's eyes went wide.

She pulled the trigger.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Rights to Animorphs and its respective characters belong to the respective parties.  
Warning: Minor adult content in some chapters. and swearing. Also, a higher-than-likely chance that things may be lifted directly from the text without warning, scenarios imitated, battles poorly written. Also, long chapters. The story generally follows the series!

A/N: Book one in the David-Is-A-Sociopath-Trilogy (Book 20 plus other stuff)

Type: AU

Summary: How would the war have gone if Elfangor decided to hightail it out of there when the Animorphs came across his ship, ensuring his survival? Not interesting enough for you? Hear this then: What would have happened if a Controller was there too, and became the sixth Animorph?

Read this to find out! Follow along from book one to book fifty four. And beyond.

A/N: I know this is shorter than the other two by about twenty KB's, but I wanted to get SOMETHING out since I just had my baby girl and I'll be busy forever and ever and you guys deserved something before my hiatus!

So enjoy and review and stuff.

End of A/N

* * *

"NO!" Melanie screamed.

Her sister's eyes went wide, I felt a brush of air across my neck as if someone had just come up behind me.

Crystal pulled the trigger.

There was a cracking sound like a whip, and a furry blue tail with a large blade on the end was covering my forehead, smoking from where the bullet had just glanced off of it.

Elfangor!

‹Ah, Exaff! What a quaint little reunion! Oh yes! I remember your saving my life so long ago. Where was it, Reegus Alcto? That pitiful moon? And now here I am, returning the favor! I'm quite glad I am, in fact, the timing to repay you could not be greater!›

I almost died inside. The voice was all wrong. It wasn't Elfangor...

I turned around slowly and found myself staring into the face of Visser Three. "Hello Esplin." I choked out.

‹Exaff. I understand that the Escafil Device is here, is it not? My Veleek may be out of action, but we harnessed the tiny creatures again, on a much smaller scale! You see, one or two morph tracker particle beasts are far more effective than the larger swarm we employed before, oh yes. Subtlety is the key these days!›

‹This guy sure loves to monologue.› Melanie said faintly. But I ignored her.

"I have the cube here." I told Esplin. I pulled it out of my sweater carefully.

‹Perhaps I should repay old debts more often! The rewards seem well worth the efforts! I save your life, you hand me the morphing cube!›

I forced myself to smile as he took the blue box in his hands. His tail caressed my face gently, then he stepped away. His stalk eyes fell upon Melanie's sister. She was still standing in the same position, frozen in terror, gun raised.

‹Take care of that thing would you Exaff› Visser Three said absently, sill examining the cube. ‹We do not have all day, do we now?› He started to morph a Human.

Crystal's eyes grew bigger than they already were. She lowered the gun and dropped it to the floor. Still she stood there. I stepped closer to her. I kept eye contact as I retrieved the weapon.

‹What the hell are you doing?› Melanie demanded as I brought up the gun to rest under Crystal's chin. The girl flinched as it made contact.

‹Shut up!› I roared at my host. I was enraged. This pathetic Human tried to murder me, and my host was concerned about her welfare?

‹Exaff,› Esplin said impatiently ‹Normally I too would relish in a kill, but this is not that time. Pull the trigger and be done with it!›

Kill her or kill all of us. Kill one single Human, or get me, Melanie, the Animorphs, Elfangor and Ax all killed.

_No,_ I thought._ Don't kid yourself. She tried to kill you. She would have if not for Esplin's intervention..._

‹God damnit! Don't do this Exaff!› Melanie screamed at me, trying everything to fight for control.  
"Of course." I told Esplin. Amazed at how calm I was, despite the internal war._ No matter what. There's no choice..._  
I squeezed the trigger. Melanie let out a cry of shock as her sister fell to the floor and lay there like a broken doll, her hair splayed over her face. Covering the bullet wound. Masking the blood.

Still I looked away. Once again I experienced the sense of void from within. No sense of Melanie's mind at all. I turned around and pocketed the gun. I left the house with Esplin, who was now in his Human morph.

‹Why are we going with him?› I heard from Melanie as we sat beside Esplin in the limo. There was no doubt where it was taking us. The Yeerk Pool.

‹We don't have a choice. He still thinks I'm on his side.› I said calmly.

‹Aren't you?› Melanie still seemed muted. As much as I tried, I couldn't sense a thing from her, and I didn't bother answering.

Of course i wasn't.

I felt her hand reach down into our pocket and grip the gun handle as she yelled obscenities at me. She started to slide the gun out, and I slammed down on her mind. ‹You're not going to shoot him! You can't!› I shouted back.

‹And why the hell not?!› She yelled ‹Give me one good reason why!›

‹Because I don't want murder another person I care about in cold blood!› I said desperately, not releasing my control.

I expected her to resist, to scream and rage at me, to attack me again. But she didn't. What happened next was entirely different.

I was bombarded by images and thoughts and feelings, all flashing by at light speed. I felt a sense of immense terror within myself and I didn't realize I was screaming, or that I'd relinquished control.

A single image stuck out in my mind, pushing me back from regaining control as if it were a solid wall.

A Human male was laying on the floor in a dark room with shades of red blood puddled around his head. His face was battered and destroyed, as if the bones were pushed in and made flat, broken and cracked to pieces.

‹Who said you had to be the one to kill Visser Three.› Came a faint thought from Melanie, as if we were now a million miles away.

I couldn't see past the image, I couldn't think, couldn't stop these feelings! For all my power, that single image had me cornered and horrified beyond anything rational.

I heard Esplin say something unintelligible, and then there was the sound of two gunshots, followed by a sense of wind and movement.

‹Did you...› I trailed off, horrified as my sense of self returned and the terrible image faded away. We were laying on the side of the road. I saw the vehicle sitting there in the street, but I couldn't see Esplin.

‹You murdered my sister.› Melanie said dully. ‹I murdered one of the closest things a monster like you could get to a brother. We're even now.› She took us into a dark and deserted alley, and when I tried to get control, I found that I couldn't. I, a creature made to enslave, was powerless. ‹And now I'm going to give you a choice, because I don't want to commit suicide just to get rid of you.› She continued, emotionless as ever.

She held the morphing cube in front of our eyes. ‹You will get out of my head, you will take the morphing power into your slimy murdering self, and you'll acquire and morph me. After that, you'll leave and never come back to me or to the Animorphs or to Elfangor, and I don't want to see you ever again because if I do I'll kill you with my bare hands.›

I understood completely. A few minutes later, it was done. Without a word I was left as a naked, distraught little Human girl in a city. A single pathetic Human on Earth, alone and cowering in the middle of an alley. I crouched down behind a dumpster and tried to summon up thoughts, to make a plan. But there was nothing. I was nothing...

A faint blue glow from beside the dumpster caught my eye, and when I reached under it and brought out the object, I knew I had a plan. A purpose. I sifted through the garbage container and found a small blanket that I wrapped around myself. As I sat in the alley, I clutched the morphing cube to my shivering cold body. My eyes seemed to move over to stare at Visser Three's limousine of their own accord, and I began to think harder than I ever had in my life.

* * *

Melanie

* * *

I was on autopilot again as I walked to Elfangor and Tobias's place. I didn't think, I didn't want to think. I wasn't even sure I could think again. My sister was dead. Why would I want to think right now?

It was late in the evening when I got there, and I just walked in. Why bother with knocking? Elfangor approached in his Human morph. I dimly heard his greeting. His face seemed to fall, and I let him lead me over to the couch.

"What has happened?" He questioned as he sat across from me.

I stared into his eyes blankly and said the only thing on my mind. "My sister's dead, and Exaff did it."

He didn't know what to say to that. We sat together for a while, until he prodded me for the full story. I told it to him, expressionless, without any emotion or passion.

When I got to the part about shooting Visser Three and leaving Exaff in the alley-way, he asked quietly. "Where is the Escafil Device?"

It hit me like a sack of bricks. I'd left it there.

Elfangor voiced words of understanding and kindness, but I could tell he was furious at my careless actions, whatever the circumstances.

His eyes said it all: _All of that trouble, and we still don't have the cube back._

I felt a tiny spark inside my chest, and I felt like I had to say something. "At least Visser Three's dead."

Despite the situation, Elfangor smiled. "A Human child did what years of Andalite warfare could not. Earth never ceases to surprise me."

* * *

Exaff

* * *

"So what do you want?" I spat out at the idiotic boy, David. It was a month since my abandonment, and I'd been busy since then. I was now leading two lives. The life of an out of nowhere new Yeerk Visser, and the life of the new Human girl in school. That's where David and I were now, sitting together at lunch. I'd had documentation falsified, housing made, a history set up, as well as picked a Controller out to pose as the adopted Human mother of my morph.

All so I could use this cover. The truth was, no matter what, I liked Human life. I liked school, I liked the houses, the food, the lifestyle. I was in love with it all, and I wouldn't sacrifice it despite my new rank. I had put a quick end to being questioned by others on why I hadn't chosen an adult Human form instead. They couldn't understand.

There was also the added bonus of it allowing me to keep my eyes on the Animorphs without fear of repercussion. (Though I did have to pretend to be nothing more than what I was: A regular Human girl new to the city, an irony not lost on me. I was back to square one. I'd have to worm my way into their circle once again.)

David flinched at my tone and looked away from my glaring, bright amber eyes. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Right. It's so easy to pick me out like that, isn't it?" I challenged, relishing the way his eyes widened as he recognized his own words being used against him, though not by the same person. Not exactly. "I'm the new girl, you're the new guy. So why don't we get along?" I continued on, keeping the anger out of my voice.

"Sure." David said in forced casualty, but I noticed he kept his eyes downcast and he wasn't looking at the table.

I smiled to myself. I'd deliberately made my fourteen year old morph as most physically disarming as I could while still being intimidating. Brighter than normal amber eyes. Flowing, rich, long scarlet hair that came down to my butt. A full face with a slightly prominent chin, thin arching eyebrows and a short button nose. I wasn't too skinny or too weighty. In my opinion, the morph was a perfect example of a Human female.

Apparently David thought so too. "Think we could hang out?" He asked, his eyes darting from my face to a point a little bit lower. The punk wasn't even bothering to be discreet!

My smile widened. "David, David, David." I purred out, loving my voice. Everything that flowed from my lips was like water. My voice was soft and smooth, like a tiger closing in on its' prey. "I don't think we should do that."

"Why's that?" He said, clearly disappointed. Pathetic.

"Think about it David." I said rakishly "You own a snake, you own a BB gun, your father works for the government. I don't want to be around that." I stood, paused before delivering my parting line. "You're just not my type."

I stopped and spun around on my heel as a thought struck me. I leaned over the table, getting very close to David, my low-cut top in his face. His eyes were now having enormous trouble staying up. "But if you want to hang out with me as friends, you could always join The Sharing. I'm a full member, and I could show you around." With that, I straightened up, dumped my tray and walked out, heading for my first class of the afternoon.

"Hi." I said, quietly reintroducing myself to Marco, who was seated next to me in history class. The teacher was late in arriving, so I sprang onto the opportunity. "I'm Sicarius." I gave the boy a dazzling smile, and he was instantly taken with me. He was taken with anything that had a skirt actually, I thought in amusement.

"Hey Sicarius." He said slowly, trying out my name. He gave a little smile back even as his face changed color. "I'm Marco."

"Marco. Cute name." I gave a girlish laugh as his face flushed all the more.

Marco was about to reply when, mercifully, the teacher came in.

"Good evening class." The man said.

"Good evening Mr. Tidwell" We all chorused back. The man's eyes roamed the desks as he took role call. He stopped when he reached mine.

"It seems we have a new student." He gazed at my name strangely, trying it out under his breath before saying loudly "Class, please welcome our newest arrival, miss Sicarius Penrose."

Everyone's gazes snapped to me as they voiced their greetings, and I gave my best smile yet. "I'm very happy to be here." I said, being completely honest. As everyone focused in on the lesson, Marco still kept his gaze locked on me. Sometimes he flashed a smile or two, and I'd give a little wave behind the teacher's back. I didn't wish him or any of them ill will. It was just that as much as I wanted to approach them, I could never do it.

At least not as Exaff.

The rest of the day passed by quickly, and I went to my new home. I entered my room and sat down on the end of my bed. The Controller who was my mother wasn't back yet, so I watched television. Mindless Human entertainment. After a while, I decided to call David. "Hello David." I said quietly. The phone was picked up after the third ring.

"Who is this?" An adult male's voice asked. His father.

"Hello sir, I'm Sicarius." I said sweetly "I'm new around here, and I met your son and was wondering if he was able to go to a Sharing meeting with me tonight. I'm a full member you see, and I invited him along."

The phone went quiet for a second. "I suppose that'd be alright." David's father said. "Do you need someone to drive you there?"

"Oh no, we'll be just fine." I replied. "We'll be walking. The community center isn't too far away."

David's father hung up, and I got back to watching the TV for the next half an hour.

I heard a knock at the door, and figured it was David. But when I opened the door, it wasn't him.

"Hi Marco. I wasn't expecting you here." I honestly wasn't. And I was wondering how he'd even tracked me down.

Marco ran a hand over his hair. "I was just thinking we should grab some food."

I erupted into laughter, and his face reddened. "You came all this way to ask me to eat with you without even knowing if I would say yes or not?" I explained.

Marco smiled. "Yeah. I'm a risk taker, braving the winds and harsh lands of the city for a damsel in distress like you."

"I'm waiting for someone to meet me here, and it isn't you." I said coolly.

Marco's face fell. "Alright, cool. Sure thing. I'll be off then."

A few minutes after he left, David finally arrived, and we left for the Sharing meeting.

I stuck close to David and introduced him to everyone I could, made him feel welcomed and appreciated. If any messed up Human needed the help of the Sharing, it was David.

"So how is it?" I asked as we sat down together in the grass, eating some chips.

David shrugged. "It's cool I guess."

"Do you feel like you belong?"

David hesitated. "Yeah." He smiled at me.

I smiled back "Excellent. Would you like to become a full member?"

"Totally." Said David earnestly.

"Let's do it then." I grabbed his hand and hauled him to his feet, leading him back inside the building.

* * *

"David, calm down" I said silkily to the boy. He was screaming as he was held over the miniature Pool by two Hork-Bajir. He was in the process of being infested. He'd agreed to becoming a full member, and I'd taken him immediately into the infestation room. "Don't struggle. It'll be over in a matter of seconds." My words of comfort didn't help him, and I felt just the tiniest bit of self disgust. This definitely wasn't helping the cause of peace. But so what, I thought vehemently. If anyone deserves infestation, it's this kid!

The sound of shattering glass resounded outside the room, the door burst open and a second later I was faced with a tiger, a bear, a wolf, a gorilla, and two Andalites. The gorilla, Marco, hesitated as he saw me. then in a heartbeat. the wolf and tiger dashed for the Hork-Bajir, ripping into them and taking them out. Marco lumbered past me and grabbed hold of David's head, and then he pulled the Yeerk out of the boy's ear and tossed it into the pool.

David ran out of the room, with the wolf in toe. I stumbled away and felt my back hit the wall as Ax and Elfangor advanced on me. I couldn't possibly morph, and if I reached for my dracon beam I'd be dead. I'd have to talk my way out of this.

"Please don't kill me!" I pleaded. I wasn't acting.

‹Why shouldn't we?› Elfangor responded, as if we were just having a casual conversation and I had just disagreed with him over something trivial. His tail raised, and then he froze. He was listening to thought-speak.

"Because I'm the new Visser Three, If you weren't aware of it, the former Visser Three is dead." I said carefully "And that makes me the only one who knows the location of your morphing cube."

Suddenly the other Animorphs approached, surrounding me. I realized I had said the wrong thing. Marco stepped in front of them all and I swear I saw sadness -Or was it pity?- In his eyes. Then his fist collided with my face, and I saw nothing at all.

"I was expecting something more menacing, you know." I heard Tobias saying as I came to.

"Yeah," Marco agreed "Who knew one of the highest ranking Vissers is the new hot girl? That's like some sick cliche. When she says she's after your heart, she means it."

‹Quiet.› Ax snapped at the two as I opened my eyes. ‹She is awake.›

I saw Jake, Marco, Tobias and Rachel gathered around me, as well as Ax and Elfangor, both in Andalite form. I looked around and saw I was in the basement of Elfangor's house, but no doubt it was protected by sound absorption technology, as well as force fields and holograms to conceal my captivity. I slowly raised myself up on the cold stone floor. I was in the one situation I hadn't planned for: To be captured while acting as my alter ego. I'd have to to play this very carefully.

I made eye contact with Marco, who flinched at my gaze. "You're as unreal as I am." I forced out a laugh "Andalite in morph. Why not demorph now?" He carefully kept his face neutral, but I saw the slightest twitch as he thought I came close to his "Secret".

_Back away from that, Exaff._ "Or is this a statement to let me know That you're clever, hiding in plain sight?" I put on a warm smile.

‹Enough. Said Elfangor coldly. ‹You are not the one to ask questions here, we are.›

I casually propped myself up on my elbows. "Whatever you say." I said nicely. "Ask what you want, I'll be most cooperative."

‹If you think your cooperation will be off putting, you're mistaken.› Ax snapped at me.

"Damn." I said, giving him a disappointed look. Despite himself, Marco snickered. Tobias nearly grinned.

"A Visser with a sense of humor. What will they think of next?" Said Marco.

‹Enough.› Elfangor said again. ‹Arisths, leave us.› The Animorphs and Ax left, leaving just me and Elfangor alone.

I stayed silent for a minute. Elfangor spoke first. ‹You can give us the information we need, or we will starve you to death and just ask your host.›

‹I have the power to morph, taking after my predecessor.› I directed back in private thought-speak ‹I have no host, but nice try. A few months ago that threat would have been usable. Besides, I'm willing to cooperate.›

‹I see.› Said Elfangor, gazing at me with renewed intensity ‹Why is that?›

"I'm with the Yeerk peace movement of Earth." I answered easily. And it was true. While I, under the guise of the new Visser Three, hadn't declared myself that to other peace members like the teacher Mr. Tidwell and his Yeerk, I did consider myself part of it. Aftran, co-founder of the peace movement with me, knew the truth. She alone knew that I, Visser Three, Malvaro, was also Exaff.

Elfangor's gaze hardened ‹Do not take me for a fool, A Visser would never be part of such a thing, especially not a Visser who has such a valuable piece of technology as the Escafil Device.

"If you're anything Elfangor, it's certainly not a fool." I said maybe too warmly for someone in my position, even if they were part of the peace movement.

Elfangor's stalk eyes closed ‹What is your name? He asked me softly. I thought for a heartbeat that he knew, somehow.

But I kept my voice under control as I replied. "Malvaro. You do understand that as a Visser I am heavily guarded, which works as an aid and a hindrance at times. Think about it Elfangor. I am not able to openly declare myself of the peace movement, but Aftran knows my allegiance. I've had to do things to maintain cover, like the infestation of David, keeping up my pretenses. But I do sometimes take actions that aid the destruction of the Empire. The Escafil Device is being used to give Yeerks the power to morph, and with it, the power to escape. Many Yeerks don't want to be in this war, and now they can just morph into Earth animals and Humans and leave. It's the beginning of a revolution, Elfangor."

Elfangor dipped his head at me. ‹I will consider your words. We will confer with other members of the peace movement, and we will let you leave after hearing from them. If your story is true. Also...As a mark of your sincerity, give us information on a major target we can strike at. We like to keep busy.›

I smiled and shifted my position on the floor. As it turned out, I did have something to give my friends. "A major target? How's this: On Saturday, Earth's world leaders will be convening in this city for a summit to discuss the problems in the Middle East. The British prime minister is infested already, and the goal of the Yeerks is to infest the American president at this event. With him, they'll be in control of one of the worlds' largest powers."  
I paused to let the information sink in. "That means that allot of things can be swept under the rug."

‹Where is the Escafil Device?› Asked Elfangor, all four of his eyes boring into me.

"On my bladeship, safe and hidden. The only other person who knows where it is and is allowed to use it, is Aftran."

‹Very well.› Elfangor said with another nigh imperceptible bow. He then left the basement, leaving me alone with myself.

_That went better than I ever could have expected it to._ I sighed and demorphed, then reverted back to Human.

I looked up just as a dark haired female came down the stairs, and I gasped.

* * *

Melanie

* * *

I walked down the stairs to confront Visser Three. The new Visser Three, I corrected myself. This one was with the peace movement, Elfangor had said. She was good. Like Aftran and Lissim that we had been dealing with in the past month.

Like Exaff had been.

When I passed through the force field, I was surprised to see a flaming haired girl my age sitting on the floor.

She audibly gasped as her gaze fell on me, and I wondered briefly if she knew me somehow. Maybe a Yeerk operation we'd crashed.

"Hey." I said softly as I came to a halt in front of the Visser. If she was really with the peace movement, I didn't want to alienate her. I sat down across from her, folding my legs beneath me.

"Hello, Andalite." The new Visser Three said politely. "Have you come to interrogate me more? I told the other one all he seemed to want to know."

"I didn't." I said quietly. "I came here to ask you about the peace movement."

"Ask."

"Who leads it? Is it...A Yeerk named Exaff? Do you know her?" I bit my lip, wondering why I cared. Why was this my opening question?

The girl tilted her head and was quiet. "Two Yeerks lead the peace movement. One is called Exaff, and the other is Aftran. Exaff is the one who gave us the cube."

Should have known... "Thank you." I decided to ask another question. "Do you know me? You were surprised when I came in."

"I know you by name and reputation. The Human who is rumored to be working with the Andalite bandits. Everyone in the Empire knows, or at least suspects, your story by now." The Visser gave a short laugh "And now I can see it's true."

So that's what it is. "I'm famous?" I replied, raising my eyebrow.

"Exactly." The girl answered.

We lapsed into silence again. "Do you have a name?" I asked after a moment's deliberation.

"I do." The Visser said "It's Malvaro. So am I worthy?"

"Worthy?" I repeated.

Malvaro smiled. "Yes. You also came down here to judge if I'm really Peace Movement or not, didn't you?"

I started to protest, then I stopped and smiled back at her "I did. And I have a feeling that you are."

Malvaro stared at me for a moment "Your hair was always reported as an Andalite blue color." She said finally.

The smile dropped off my face "Everything got a little darker after my sister was murdered by my Yeerk partner." I felt an itching at my forearm, and I looked down to see that I was rubbing into it. I stopped and looked up to find Malvaro gazing at my wrist. I pulled the sleeve down again. "Good luck with your peace movement, Visser." I said, standing up and leaving hastily. I walked past Tobias, past Elfangor and the others.

I went into the bathroom and locked the door. I looked at myself in the mirror, remembering my own words as tears welled up in my eyes. Everything got a little darker after my sister was murdered..

I felt the tears start to flow, and the throat hurting emotions. I couldn't breathe.  
I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled out the thing I carried with me all the time now. I pressed the razor against my bare forearm and began sliding it across one of the few untouched parts of skin left. I sighed at the familiar, comforting feeling.

We released Malvaro back to the world two hours later, after we had confirmed her information and sincerity with Aftran. There was nothing we could do about Exaff. Aftran was livid that my former partner still had the best of intentions. And as for David...

"Welcome to the Animorphs, new guy." I said, being the first person to break the silence after we'd explained everything to him, which had taken a considerable amount of time. I held out my hand.

"Yeah, thanks." He said, not taking it.

Elfanor glared at him, snapping his tail in disapproval, and David quickly shook hands with me as well as with the others.

"So that new girl Sicarius is an alien double agent, huh? Visser Three two point oh?" David asked of me with a smirk.

"That's right." I said.

"In a nutshell." Jake commented dryly.

"Well, great." The strange smirk didn't go away for the rest of the meeting.

"He has the hots for Visser Three. That's so wrong." Marco said after David was gone Tobias and Jake expressed similar sentiments.

"How can you even tell?" Said Rachel.

"It's a guy thing!" They all said at almost the exact same time.

And after everyone got done explaining the figure of speech to Ax, he was firmly on the boy's side of the issue. ‹That is repulsive.› He stated. ‹Though if I were in Human morph perhaps I would find Malvaro's morph to be aesthetically pleasing.› He added thoughtfully. The others all began voicing their disgust and disbelief, and he backtracked.  
‹Human instincts are confusing. It is hardly my fault if my morph cannot tell a true Human from a morph.›

"Right, you were caught up in the morph." Marco said sarcastically "and that's why we caught you staring at Mel and Exaff all the time."

I buried my head in my hands, while Ax looked at Marco as if he had just been betrayed.

"Sometimes I wonder how we haven't all been killed by now." Tobias muttered.

* * *

Exaff

* * *

"No no no, not over there, I meant over there!" I shouted at the lowly Human Controller who was cowering on the bridge of my bladeship. I was currently on, as the Humans called it, "a power trip".

"Yes Visser!" The Controller stuttered out as he went to correct his flight error.

I smiled. This was _fun_. And, I reasoned, I couldn't have ambitious Yeerks thinking I was a weak and compassionate Visser. They'd find some way to remove me in a heartbeat. I had to protect my position. "Someone find Aftran! Bring her to me." I almost laughed at the sight of four adult Humans and a Hork-Bajir rushing away at the orders of a fourteen year old Human girl, Visser or not.

I sat back in the captains chair I'd had installed and ordered the forward view-screen on. It was Saturday, and I'd just had word that there was an intrusion down below at the summit. I had smiled and said "Don't worry about it." to the incredulous faces of my underlings. Still, I flew in closer, cloaked, so as not to appear suspicious. I had to seem curious and concerned, as well as confident and uncaring. Being an effective Visser was a tough job.

A Human Controller appeared on the screen, tearing me from my thoughts. His face was fearful. "Visser, it appears that the Andalites are here to disrupt the summit."

"And that concerns you?" I replied, amused.

The Controller physically struggled to find an answer that wouldn't result in what he thought would be his death. "No?" He whimpered, more as a question than an answer.

"Good!" I cried, dramatically clapping my hands together. The Controller flinched at the sudden noise, and I heard someone behind me nervously laugh. "Now don't bother me again unless it's to report that you've captured one or more of the Andalite bandits, or that you've failed in your mission here."

"Yes Visser!" The pale faced Controller said. I closed the channel and spun my chair around, locating the one who had laughed. It was Bemyr eight eight five.

"Was something I said funny?" I narrowed my eyes at the woman, and that was all it took to make her balk.

"N-No, of course not Visser! It was just. Err-" I waved my hand, cutting her off.

"Bemyr, I know what amuses you." I said, my voice ringing nicely in the silence. "Pay it no mind."  
"Now," I looked over the rest of the crew. "Where is Aftran nine four two? Anyone?" None of them made any move to speak. "What a pity. It looks like I'll have to make an example out of one of you grubs." I stood slowly, removing my dracon weapon from its' holster.

"Visser Three, I have urgent news!" Aftran said as she walked in. I could tell by the eyes of her morph that she meant "Urgent news about the peace movement."

I put away my weapon, and everyone else sighed in relief. "Very well. Let us walk and talk." I told Aftran cheerfully. I caught her rolling her sparkling green eyes at me as we went into the corridor.

"You should tone it down with that evil Visser act." Aftran muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

I suppressed a grin "You know I can't do that. I don't want to end up dead somewhere. A little fear is healthy."

As soon as we were on the stretch to engineering, I spoke up again. "What is it? Are the Animorphs having too many difficulties? Is it David?" I added, thinking back to his revenge when we Jake and I had taken back the cube for a brief time.

"No." Aftran said with a shake of the head that made her blond hair shimmer "They're doing fine, don't worry about them. It's the peace movement. We have just over a hundred members now, and most of them don't have willing hosts. It's difficult to stand for something while you commit the same act that you're against."

I led Aftran into the engine room, looking over the equipment passively. I turned to find her staring at me. I wanted to look away because I knew what she wanted. What we all wanted. Aftran and I were both morph capable Yeerks. There was no need for us to take over and invade the minds of others anymore. We were our own beings now.

"You want to start giving the gift in large numbers." I told her.

She nodded. "We both know how it is to experience this. It's a life altering thing, Exaff." She said, daring to use my true name. "Many Yeerks would turn away from all of this if they only had the chance. This is that chance."

"Can we trust them all to keep their mouths shut? It's a wave, Aftran. If we give them this, they'll tell their friends and brothers and sisters elsewhere. It'll spread like wild-fire. Then we'll have Yeerks wanting it for personal gain, Yeerks wanting it for selfish, vile reasons."

Her eyes turned sad. "That's true."

I examined Aftran's morph in the dim red glow of the room. It was older than mine by four years, it was taller, more fit, and all-together plain. It was as if she'd taken pains to keep her appearance that way, given the nature of the Frolis maneuver. She was a humble person.

I started to walk back into the hall-way because I didn't want to respond. "And Exaff," Aftran said, starting after me. "You know like I do that with everything, there's always someone around to use it for selfish reasons."

"I know." I said softly. "I just don't think it's the right time yet to give it out en masse. But we'll continue as we are. I won't say no to any fully trusted individuals in the peace movement. People we know well." Aftran followed me out. She didn't say anything else about it on the way back to the bridge.

She didn't have to. She was disappointed, but I knew she understood.

"Visser!" Said Bemyr anxiously as Aftran and I re-entered the bridge.

I spared her a glance, settling into my chair again with Aftran at my side. "Yes?"

"The, uh, the ground forces are reporting that the Andalite bandits are inside the main hall and they seem to be attempting to take down the force-field and holographic generators in order to reveal everything behind them to the world leaders."

"Wonderful." I responded softly, turning inward. The Animorphs were good, but at such a large event as this...They'd surely die. They couldn't battle everyone, Yeerk and Human security alike. If they collapsed the fields, they would be slaughtered.

"Wonderful, Visser?" Bemyr questioned daringly. "Is that not, ah, a setback?"

Everyone was looking at me cautiously, awaiting my command.

_Alright, the fun is over_. "Take the ship over the hall and hold there. Position the southern exit hatch directly above one of the pillars. Send no one in." I said, heading for a side door. Ironically, there was only one thing I could do to ensure my friends' survival. "I'll handle this myself." I started to demorph as soon as I was inside the air-lock.

* * *

Melanie

* * *

I tore out the throat of a Hork-Bajir and was on the next one like lightning. I swiped my paw with so much force that the alien's skull caved in as it slammed into the force-field.

Elfangor and Ax were tag teaming half a dozen Taxxon. I barreled recklessly into the mix. The Taxxon popped and tore like plastic.

Tobias, in Hork-Bair morph, was going toe to toe with a Hork-Bajir Controller. I heard the familiar sound of a dracon beam, and I felt an intense burning across my back. I'm on him! Marco cried out as I fell to the floor. I tried to get up, but found that I couldn't move my hind legs. It hit me then that I was paralyzed. I crawled across the floor helplessly while the battle raged on.

‹Go bug, Melanie!› Jake ordered. I wondered stupidly why he was giving orders, and saw that Elfangor and Ax were busy with four larger than average Hork-Bajir. When did they get here? Had they stepped out of the pillars?

‹Melanie! Morph out now!› Jake snapped. _Morph out...Right_. I started to demorph. Marco picked me up with his strong gorilla arms and turned away from the battle.

As soon as I was Human, instead of going to fly morph, I went back to my tiger. ‹Hey, Jake said go bug!› Marco protested as he saw the changes.

‹I don't care!› I angrily replied ‹Jake isn't in charge until Elfangor dies, and I need to kill things.›

When the morph was finished I bounded away and found an unconscious Human with a dracon beam laying close to his hand. I stalked up to the man and took his neck in my massive jaws and bit down as hard as I could. I felt the blood spurting out, and I backed off and went to find my next target.

I saw David in lion morph about to take down a Hork-Bajir. I darted past him and tackled the Controller, clawing madly at its' face.

Tobias decapitated a Hork-Bajir with his wrist blades.

"That's quite enough!" A voice shouted over the chaos. David and I looked toward the source of the noise in the same moment.

‹Oh crap, not her.› David whined. ‹She's probably pissed because we're killing her buddies.›

Elfangor and Ax turned their stalk eyes on the new arrival, but didn't stop tearing into their opponents. Dracon beams lanced out. The two Hork-Bajir dropped to the floor without their heads.

Four Humans were felled one after the other, and then it was just us: The Animorphs, and her.

The new Visser Three, Malvaro. She lowered the twin dracon weapons to her side and carelessly pushed her hair behind her shoulders. "When I say it's enough, you'd better stop." She said, her eyes narrowed specifically at the two Andalites.

‹We do not take orders from Yeerks, peace movement or not.› Elfangor said levelly. Malvaro's eyes found Jake, Rachel and Cassie together in the corner. Then David, Marco, Tobias and I.

‹You don't dare order us around you filthy-› Ax started.

"All of you need to go." Malvaro said, cutting Ax off. "I've given orders to hold reinforcements back, and I'll sweep any evidence of your escape under the rugs. You've done a brilliant job of distracting the Empire's forces from the mission, but you have to go. The U.S. President is safe now. Not even the Empire can reach him when he goes back to the White House."

‹Actually,› Marco said brightly ‹We were going to stay a while and cause more of a scene. Reveal the aliens to the world type of thing. Saving the President just wasn't a big enough deal for us.›

The Visser smiled, then shook her head. "I know what you're trying to do. But the world isn't ready for that yet, Marco. Neither is the Peace Movement, or you..." She trailed off, evidently thinking about something. Then she said, "Andalite Bandits is such a stupid name, and it doesn't even fit, seeing as you have that Human working with you." Malvaro pointed a finger at me, somehow recognizing my morph.

We all looked at one another, silently daring each other to say what we all knew we had on our minds.

‹Well, we did decide on a name for our group a while ago...› Marco said slowly.

‹Animorphs.› We all said at roughly the same time, leaving David confused.

Elfangor sighed. ‹Animorphs...Retreat. We accomplished what we came here for.› He looked to Malvaro and crossed his main eyes in a smile. ‹Thank you.›

The Visser smiled back and stepped into a holographic pillar. Once Elfangor confirmed she was gone, we all morphed flies and made our escape.

* * *

Exaff

* * *

Two hours after the summit fiasco, I sat in my private quarters aboard the bladeship. I laid on the Human bed, content with how things had gone. I shut my eyes and listened to the sounds of the ship heading into orbit. Then I remorphed into what I considered to be my "Exaff" Human form. A short, brown haired, twenty year old Human woman. My true Human form, rather than the Visser alter.

I'd ordered my crew to take us up to the mothership. I had a meeting to attend.

As I strode through the halls and found the hologram concealed doorway, I walked in and heard Aftran saying "Fellow members of the peace movement-" This was always a great time to enter into the conversation.

"You started without me." I accused my friend, taking my place and sitting beside her.

Aftran smothered a grin. "I know I did. It's because you're late."

I looked around the room and was disappointed to see only ten people. Obviously we'd need to find a better meeting place._ It's getting harder and harder for us to slip away_, I thought.

"Welcome, Exaff." A male Human/Yeerk member who I didn't know said. He shifted uneasily in his chair. "And...I'm sorry about your partner's sister. I know it's old news, but I never offered my condolences all the same."

"Thanks." I said shortly. "Things happened how they had to happen."

"And how are things on the Taxxon homeworld, Kahpas?" Aftran asked the man, changing the subject on my behalf. "I understand you were just transferred here no less than three day ago."

Kahpas nodded. "The rebellion is constantly shifting there, as expected. Offer them a piece of meat and they switch sides on the spot." He spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "We honestly can't do much there. That's why I'm pleased by my reassignment. There's plenty to do on this rock, I hear."

"Be careful what you wish for." I cautioned my fellow Yeerk.

The man dismissed my warning with a wave of his hand. "I'd take anything over being stuck in a Taxxon for months."

"The Taxxon aren't so bad." A Human girl of about twelve years said in derision. "You can kill them with a pin. They're not scary at all."

I frowned at the girl. She hadn't been at last week's meeting. I glanced at Aftran meaningfully.

"Lisa. Her father is an up and coming senator." She explained. "Once we found out about that we stepped in and rescued her. We freed her and brought her to the peace movement when she said she wanted to help against the Empire. She asked for a Yeerk partner after a few days because she didn't want to be alone with all of this secret alien business. She's paired with Aerus seven one five."

‹Don't worry.› Aftran continued in private thought-speak. ‹We haven't given her anything dangerous to do. She's just in charge of keeping an eye on people around her father. And she has Aeurus. That Yeerk knows her stuff. She'll keep the girl safe.›

"Hey, you're doing that Vulcan mind talk aren't you?" Lisa accused.

I jerked in surprise. How could she have determined that? It was hard enough to do when you knew a person well.

‹It's Andalite mind talk to you.› I directed at the girl.

"Morph talk." Countered Aftran.

"Let's continue the meeting." Kahpas suggested. "We're on the clock here."

I sighed. Regardless, I had a feeling that this meeting was going to last a while.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Rights to Animorphs and its respective characters belong to the respective parties.  
Warning: Minor adult content in some chapters. and swearing. Also, a higher-than-likely chance that things may be lifted directly from the text without warning, scenarios imitated, battles poorly written. Also, long chapters. The story generally follows the series!

A/N: Sort of in between books right now. SORRY! Not really any book plot going on here besides some elements of Book 33, the Illusion. Otherwise it's all natural and original. I personally think I do original plots better than trying to follow the book events. :D

Type: AU

Summary: How would the war have gone if Elfangor decided to hightail it out of there when the Animorphs came across his ship, ensuring his survival? Not interesting enough for you? Hear this then: What would have happened if a Controller was there too, and became the sixth Animorph?

Read this to find out! Follow along from book one to book fifty four. And beyond.

End of A/N

* * *

Melanie

* * *

A heartbeat. "Don't mess with me!" I found myself yelling.

Another beat. ‹Calm down now!› Ax. Concerned? Disgusted?

Tobias. "We're just trying to help!" And a third.

I pushed away and ran. ‹You have been wounded!› Ax cried after me. I stumbled out of the house, my arms seeping with blood. I had to get away from them.

I fell, sliding on the slick grass. I hit the ground hard and felt the breath leave my lungs. My blood and tears stained the lawn as I pushed myself up.

"Melanie..." Tobias's voice was right in my ear. I snapped my head sideways, found myself staring into his face in the darkness of night.

"Who has injured you?" Ax demanded, coming up on my other side in his Human morph. A part of me thought it was lucky it was night-time.

His morph wasn't even finished yet.

"Melanie." Tobias said again, his face too close for comfort. "What happened?" He gripped my shoulder gently. "You gotta tell us what happened, come on..." His voice was so full of pain and worry that I couldn't stand it. I looked down at the blood stained grass again.

My arms were shaking.

"Nothing." I said, so quietly that I wasn't too sure if I'd even said it aloud. "It's nothing." I repeated. I didn't feel the pain at this point.

"This is not nothing." Ax said just as quietly "Please tell us who has hurt you." I felt a tentative hand on my other shoulder. Ax's hand.

"Melanie." Another voice said. A stronger, but soft voice. I looked up and found Elfangor squatting in front of me. "What's happened to you?"

I couldn't tear myself away from his gaze. I couldn't not answer him. He was Elfangor, my prince, my leader. He was being more of a father to me lately than my father himself. "No one hurt me." I said to his face. "I hurt myself."

Tobias gasped. Ax physically recoiled and withdrew his hand.

Elfangor gently seized me from under my armpits and pulled me to my feet, "Let's get you inside. You can morph away the injuries."

Tobias and Ax followed closely behind as I was led into the guest room that everyone really thought of as my room by now.

"Why have you done this?" Eflangor said as soon as I was sat down on the bed and freshly remorphed.

I sat mutely for a minute. Struggling to find words. Struggling to cut through the blankness in my head. Elfangor sat beside me, patiently waiting. He shooed Tobias and Ax out of the room, and I finally spoke. "It helps to deal with my sister being dead."

"How so?" Elfangor prodded softly.

"It gets rid of the pain of thinking about it."

Elfangor was quiet for a moment. "Replacing pain with a different kind of pain isn't a viable healing method."

"No shit." I snarled. "But what else can I do? What else have I got, huh? You tell me Elfangor because I have no idea."

Elfangor's face paled. "Melanie, I understand your pain, but an Aristh does not speak to their Prince in such a-"

"I don't give a damn!" I interrupted "If you haven't noticed by now, I'm not some uptight Andalite Aristh! I'm a Human being with Human problems with Human ways of dealing with things!"

"You're right." Elfangor said after a lengthy silence. "You are just a Human girl, and I do forget that at times. I also admit that I don't know how to help a Human with this problem. Perhaps you should speak to your friends about this." He suggested, getting up to leave. "They would be a better choice in assisting you."

He stopped at the door. "I'll send Tobias in, if you wish it. Please accept his help. I can't have you serving under me as you have been lately. Blood-thirsty, disregard for your personal safety, disobeying orders..."

I just nodded. My anger was already gone, and I felt nothing again as Tobias walked in and sat beside me where Elfangor had been.

Staring at Tobias in the silence, I was struck for the first time by how similar they appeared. Elfangor's Human morph looked like a grown up version of Tobias.

"What can I do to help?" Tobias asked, breaking the silence.

I looked away. "Bring my sister back. Raise her from the dead."

"I can't do that, but god I wish I could." Tobias placed his hand over mine, and I felt the sincerity behind his words as well as a spark of...Something else.

"Help me to kill Yeerks." I said.

Tobias grinned "I don't know...You already do that pretty well on your own."

"I mean now." I replied "Isn't there something we can do? Some meeting to crash? I can't stay here with this. I have to go out and do something." I realized I was pleading.

"There is something." Tobias said slowly, avoiding my gaze.

"Spill it."

"Alright alright." Tobias put up his hands in defeat. "There's some Yeerk controlled laboratory down on thirty-second street that I overheard about. Something about developing a serum to get rid of free will."

I started to morph bird instantly. "Great, let's go."

"Hey, I wasn't serious!" Tobias said in protest "I was just-"

"Telling me what I want to hear to get me placated." I finished, not reversing the morph.

Tobias winced. "Scary...But pretty much, yeah. But look you still can't go! I didn't lie. There really is a Yeerk lab there."

He grabbed hold of my changing body, and I demorphed.

"Either you come along with me on this and watch my back," I whispered "Or you don't and I probably die."

"Mel." Tobias said. "You know I'll have your back anytime. But we can't do this."

"Why can't we?" I was suddenly very aware of how close we were sitting. I could feel the heat of his breath on my face, could see every eyelash of his, and I felt a surge of appreciation and gratitude and without realizing it, I found myself leaning forward toward the guy who was willing to go to Hell and back with me just to make me feel okay again. The guy who had saved my life countless times over again.

"Because we just..." Tobias said, his words trailing off. Time slowed, and all I saw were his eyes, and my lips getting ever closer to his. They connected, and I kissed Tobias deeply for what seemed like an eternity. When he pulled back, there was a silly smile on his lips. "That was unexpected." He said in a dreamy tone of voice.

"Yeah..." I whispered, out of breath. "But it was good..Wasn't it?"

"Yeah." He agreed, leaning in to return the kiss.

This time I was the one to pull back. "Are you going to bust this Yeerk scheme with me or not?"

"Will I get to kiss you again if I agree?" Tobias said shyly.

I laughed. "Kiss me, keep me alive, make me happy, anything. I'm yours."

"I'll do all of that." Tobias said, his hand starting to carress my cheek.

"Fantastic." I started to kiss him again, and this time I let him kiss me back.

* * *

"DIE!" A Human Controller yelled. He ran up to me and punched my Hork-Bajir morph in the face. A stupid move, but I admired it.

I laughed and sliced my wrist blade across his chest. Dracon fire flashed by my head. I was on the shooters in one leap, cutting into their necks. "Lame." I commented as the two Humans fell.

Footsteps behind me. I spun my tail, caught the woman in the legs and sent her to the floor. I rushed her, my arms dragging across the floor. I went clean over her, and when I looked back her arms were separated from her body. ‹Brutal.› David said, half in appreciation, half in fear.

_You ain't seen nothing yet,_ I thought fiercely. I hadn't wanted to drag David along, but Tobias had insisted on it, saying we'd need the backup. So we had flown to David's, woken him up and taken him with us to the Yeerk run facility. Besides the extra firepower, Tobias had argued that it would make David feel more accepted, something that had taken a long time for him.

‹Melanie!› Tobias said, shaking me out of my thoughts. He came up beside me, also in Hork-Bajir morph. His blades flashed, and a man was left screaming. The Controller's body had been split open.

‹Pay attention!› Said David as he sunk his teeth into a man's leg. ‹You're worse than mop-boy.› Tobias bristled at the insult to his hair, and took out his frustration on a nearby Hork-Bajir Controller.

‹Who is worse than mop-boy?› A voice said thoughtfully. ‹Also, who is this mop-boy?›

‹Ax?!› David, Tobias and I said simultaneously. We all stopped for a moment. Thankfully the room was cleared.

‹Who else did you expect?› Ax replied snidely as he came into view, his tail whipping back and forth as he chased two Hork-Bajir into the room.

David jumped onto one, tearing out it's throat, while Tobias swung his blades into the head of the other.

I sidled up to them, careful not to nick them with my own blades. ‹Why are you here? How did you know where to find us?› I demanded.

‹I eavesdropped.› Ax answered, as if I should have figured that out already. ‹Are you and Tobias to be wedded?›

‹What the he-› David began.

‹What do you mean?› I said, interrupting David.

‹When two Humans kiss, it signifies that their relationship is-›

‹Ax-man, now isn't the best time for that.› Said Tobias quickly at the same time as David said in disbelief ‹Melanie and Tobias KISSED?›

‹We have a mission to finish.› I said firmly. ‹I'm glad you're here Ax. Can you hack their computers and see if you can find anything on this serum?›

‹Of course.› Ax said with a laugh ‹I am an Andalite.›

We made our way to the second floor, fighting wave after wave of Controllers, and soon we came upon the main computer systems.

Ax stepped up to them and got to work while David, Tobias and I guarded the door.

‹How we doing on morph time?› Tobias said to Ax.

‹Twenty-five percent of the morph time has been used.› Ax said absently.

David scoffed. ‹So, what? Thirty minutes?›

‹Yes.› Ax answered.

‹Couldn't you have just said that in the first place?› I said wonderingly.

Ax swung a stalk eye toward me as he worked on the computer. ‹No.›

‹I have cracked it, as the Humans say.› Ax announced a moment later.

‹Great! Do you know where it is?› David questioned eagerly.

‹No.› Ax admitted. ‹It...› He hesitated, then went on hurriedly. ‹It seems to be a falsity.›

‹You mean this was all made up?› Tobias said in confusion. ‹Why would the Yeerks do that?›

‹I am not sure.› Ax disgustedly pushed himself away from the keyboard. ‹Perhaps it is a false trail to distract us from another project. A real project.›

‹Shouldn't we get going then?› David suggested.

‹Yes.› Ax agreed ‹Yes we should. My brother will be angry enough with us as it is.›

‹He didn't send you after us?› I asked.

Ax didn't hesitate to reply ‹No.› I was surprised that he would take such initiative, as well as a little touched that he cared about us that much.

‹We're gonna be in deep shit with your brother aren't we?› David moaned as we morphed birds.

‹Oh yes.› Ax said, finishing his morph.

Together, we flew back to face Elfangor's no doubt considerable wrath.

* * *

Exaff

* * *

"We only have one shot at this, you know that don't you?" I said to Kahpas for about the hundredth time today.

"Of course I know that." He snapped, waving my concerns away with a hand "Stop worrying. This is going to work."

_I hope so_, I thought, crossing my fingers behind my back as we walked through the Yeerk Pool together. I was in a randomly acquired Human morph, an adult woman, and I was about to set a dangerous plan into motion.

I was going to acquire a new morph. It was a near god-like morph, in my eyes. So fast it left Human movie blurs behind it, so fast it could be from one end of a football field to the other in a split second. I was going to acquire my Garatron inspector. An alien all too similar to Andalites, but I was sure the two species weren't related. This particular Garatron had been sent here by the Council of Thirteen to figure out why the conquest of Earth was taking so long.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this..."

"Do you want the morph or not?" Kahpas said from out the corner of his mouth.

"Of course I do."

The Garatron was standing on the start of the pier, observing the Pool. Observing the inhabitants. My plan would most likely work.

It was a simple, trouble-free plan.

"Watch where you are going!" The Garatron spat out at me in that lightning fast way of talking that he had as I stumbled into him, by way of Kahpas's discreet shove as he had walked past me.

I threw out my hand as I fell, felt it touch the Garatron's furred arm, I concentrated with all my might on my Yeerk form, demorphing as I stood. But, like an Estreen, I only morphed my skin. As it changed to Yeerk, I felt the DNA again, and I started to acquire him. He went still, and then it was done. I morphed back to Human. My skin changed to normal, and the imperceptible fins vanished from my ribs. I slipped behind two passing Controllers immediately after the acquiring process was complete, before the Garatron could come to his senses.

I walked casually into the cafeteria. I got a meal and sat at a table in the corner, acting as if I were nothing but another random Controller.

Someone sat down beside me, and I saw out of the corner of my eye that it was Kahpas. "Did you do it?" He asked conversationally.

"Yup." I replied. "It was as easy as taking down an Andalite fighter craft."

Kahpas and I laughed, keeping up the charade. As soon as we left the Pool, though, we dropped it.

"You're crazy, Exaff." Kahpas said with a smile "That was the stupidest plan I've ever been a part of."

"I've been a part of stupider ones." I said, thinking back to my time with the Animorphs. I demorphed and remorphed into my true "Exaff" morph as soon as we were far enough up the stair-case to the exit. I grabbed the bag of clothes from Kahpas's hands and pulled them on. Then we continued up the steps. "So are you doing anything tonight?" I asked suddenly as we emerged and made our way through the mall.

Kahpas gave me a look, though I couldn't figure out what it meant. "My partner and I have festivities to get to."  
"Halloween." He said when my face remained blank. "My partner's children need him around to celebrate it and watch over them."

It was October already? "I didn't even realize..." I started, following Kahpas out the front doors to his car in the parking lot.

He laughed at me and got into the driver's seat. "Time flies for the life of a lowly Yeerk."

I went around the other side and got in too. "It sure does." I said, smiling to myself at the irony of that statement. My alter ego as Visser Three, Malvaro, begged to differ.

_Halloween..._"I think I'll celebrate this myself." I said, more to myself than to Kahpas "I've heard it's fun."

"For the sake of fun...You mean for the sake of the candy." Kahpas said under his breath. But I heard him nonetheless.

"Does someone have a sweet tooth?" I joked.

He looked at me quickly, then returned focus to driving out of the parking lot and onto the streets. "I'm not ashamed. This is what we're missing in our true forms, or in my case without a host or partner. As blind, helpless slugs, we miss out on the views, the tastes, the scents and sounds." "Richard's happy to help me, though." He continued with light smile. I noted that it was the first time he had referred to his partner by name. "He thinks I'm good company, and not too bad at caring for the young, considering how we Yeerks are with that. He was in a bad place, emotionally for the longest of times. Then I came along..."

I let him talk on and on until we arrived at his partner's house. I was confused. "What are we doing here? Weren't you going to drop me off at the community center?"

Kahpas gave me another look as we sat in the drive-way. "Richard speaking." He said, his expression changing. "Kahpas and I have been talking it over, and we'd like you to celebrate the holiday with us. If you'd like."

I laughed at how absurd the situation was. A Human asking an alien over to celebrate a holiday! My laughter turned to fits of giggles, and I got myself under control after a minute or two. "Sure. I'd like nothing more." I said seriously, and I meant it. I followed the man into the house and was greeted by two nine year old girls. My breath caught in my throat as I took the sight of them in, and I didn't realize Richard/Kahpas was speaking for a moment.

"Lily, Alice, this is..." Richard/Kahpas broke off and gave me a look again.

I gathered myself quickly. I smiled down at the red haired daughter. "Alice. My name is Alice too. It's nice to meet you." I looked at the short haired, blond girl, still smiling. "Both of you."

"She's a friend from work." Richard/Kahpas interjected. I gave a slight nod at the ironic truth, but still horrible lie, of that statement.

What a crazy world we live in, I thought in amusement. "That's right." I said aloud.

"Cool! Do you like the Pokemon video games?" Alice asked immediately.

"She doesn't!" Her sister said, rolling her eyes as if Alice was stupid for even asking such a thing. "She's into the Pokemon _show_, which is way better!"

"Don't be annoying!" Alice countered. She looked to me. "You _don't_ like the Pokemon show do you?"

I looked to Richard/Kahpas for help, not wanting to invite the fury of either girl. He smiled as if to say: It's your problem.

"I like both." I said, grinning at the children.

Richard/Kahpas stepped in before the two could resume their fighting. "Alice here is going to celebrate Halloween with us. Isn't that nice?"

The girls nodded, and then made faces when they realized they had agreed on something. "Do you have costumes?" I asked with a smile, remembering that part of the holiday. As if I could forget, though...It was the most important aspect of it, wasn't it?

"Why don't you show miss Alice your costumes?" Richard/Kahpas suggested, though it came out more like a command. I shrugged helplessly and let the girls drag me off to their shared room as they chatted animatedly to me.

"I'm going to be a witch." Lily said to me with self importance, showing me a black dress with a pointed hat.

"You're already a witch." Her sister commented. I almost rolled my eyes.

"What do you think you're trying to pull?" Lily exclaimed. "You're going to make me look bad in front of her!" She pointed at me frantically.

"Like that's hard to do..." Alice started to say, but stopped when I glanced at her.

"What are you going to go as, Alice?" I asked, trying to distract the two.

"Oh, I'm going as a Pikachu." She said, digging out a yellow mouse costume from the closet.

"It's cute." I said.

"What about me?" Lily cut in.

I almost sighed. "Yours is too, of course."

"Of course." Alice mimicked.

_Please don't let this last too long_, I thought resignedly.

After a few minutes, I left the two alone to their bickering, and found Richard/Kahpas in the living room. He was watching television on the couch. I sat next to him silently.

"Did they wear you down already?" He said with a knowing grin.

I grumbled incoherently, focusing on the TV commercials.

"It's a battle in it's own way." I knew that was Kahpas speaking.

I grumbled again, slumping low on the cushions. "Halloween isn't worth it. I want to go home." I whined like a child.

"If you go you'll miss out on the candy, and you'll leave me with two unhappy girls on my hands." Said Richard. I couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"Can I ask what happened to their mother?" I said suddenly, sitting up and changing the subject. He looked away and was quiet for a moment, and I thought that maybe I hadn't been the most tactful with my question as the silence stretched on.

"She isn't around anymore." He said finally.

I wisely decided not to ask more about that.

"Is your morph name really Alice?" He said thoughtfully.

"Of course it is." I said even as I pulled out a false ID card and driver's license and showed them to him. "Trust me, I was very thorough."

"I believe you." He said lazily.

* * *

"Trick or treat!" Lily and Alice yelled together. I pulled my coat tighter around myself, watching as the Human couple answered the door and dropped pieces of candy into the girl's Halloween themed bags.

"Scammers..." I muttered, cold smoke coming out of my mouth.

"What?" Richard/Kahpas said.

"They just got scammed." I explained as we followed the girls to the next house. It had red lighting and an animatronic skeleton on the porch. If I thought in Human standards, it was mildly impressive. "They weren't even given any real candy. It was all that caramel junk!"

Richard/Kahpas laughed and put on a grin. "Caramel _is_ real candy. It's just not the type for you."

"What is the type for me, then?" I said playfully, stopping on the lawn, but still keeping an eye on the girls.

"Chocolate." Richard/Kahpas replied easily "Lots of chocolate."

A small giggle escaped my lips before I could stop it. "You got that right."

"Hey!" Lily called excitedly as she ran back toward us from further down the side-walk. "Hurry up! The next one has a huge pumpkin monster!"

"And a bunch of skeletons that totally freak out when you get close to them!" Alice put in, clambering behind her sister.

As we went after the children and came up to the house, I felt a lurch in the pit of my stomach. I should have remembered what street we were on.

This was Elfangor's house. I stared at the dozen skeletons lined up on either side of the walk-way, and the giant glowing pumpkin sitting on the grass, and I laughed to myself.

This was definitely Elfangor's house. Only he would be so extravagent. I still couldn't tell if the pumpkin was real or not as we walked between the flailing skeletons.

I didn't realize until we reached the front door that Alice had been holding my hand. Apparently she was afraid of the skeletons. Looking at Lily surreptitiously, I saw that she seemed to be affected by them as well.

Why would nine year old children be afraid of clearly fake skeletons? Especially skeletons that they were just excited over moments ago?

I filed this away in my brain as the door opened to reveal a grinning Elfangor (in his Human morph of course). I smiled politely, as any stranger would, and so did Richard/Kahpas.

"Trick or treat!" The girls chorused. Elfangor grabbed a candy bowl from behind the door, looking to all the world a delighted Human on holiday. He gave the girls five assorted candies, which to my surprise, were all chocolates.

The girls beamed, gave a huge "Thank you!" And ran off again, this time meeting up with another group of children that looked to be their age.

I hung back as Richard/Kahpas followed them, only stopping to give me a glance, which I returned, as if to say: Go ahead.

I turned to Elfangor, getting his attention before he shut the door.

"We don't give candy to adults here, ma'am." He said, eyes twinkling.

"What about to Yeerks?"

He looked to be deciding whether to be on guard, horrified, or amused, which would no doubt be decided upon by my affiliation.

"Don't look that way." I said, stifling another giggle. "I'm with the peace movement. My name is Alice."

"I see." Elfangor said, still smiling. "And who told you where I live, and the identity of my Human morph?"

"Oh, no one." I said evasively. "I was just taking a...A friend's children out for Halloween festivities and forgot what street I was on until we were already here. So I decided to check up on you. Don't worry, the secret is safe with me. I swear I'm the only Yeerk who knows, besides Aftran and Lissim of course. You have more dealings with those two. And Exaff."

"Your concern is noted." He said, amused. "Things are fine here, thank you."

"Good to hear." I turned around to leave. Then turned back again. "Thanks for giving the girls all the chocolate. The last house over was caramel junk." Elfangor laughed, dipping his head in the familiar bow, and I laughed with him before going to catch up with Richard, Kahpas and the children.

* * *

Melanie

* * *

"We had an unexpected visitor." Elfangor said, smiling as he came back into the living room where Tobias and I were watching a horror movie together.

"Who was it?" I asked curiously, thinking of the Chee, not bothering to stop holding Tobias's hand. I didn't care if Elfangor knew, but judging by Tobias's blush, he did. We'd convinced Ax not to breathe a word about it to Elfangor, and that we'd tell him ourselves when we felt we were ready. And I won't even mention sorting out the "Due to be married" business that Ax had gotten into his head. The memory of that conversation was too embarrassing to recall. David was keeping his silence because he was too disgusted by it to ever want to say anything to anyone.

"A peace movement Yeerk that goes by the name of Alice." He explained, oddly cheerful. "She was quite amorous of me." I didn't have the heart to ask if he was joking.

"Oh god." Tobias said, pretending to gag. "Inter-species relationships don't work out."

"Don't they?" Elfangor replied, getting an extremely odd look on his face. It was only there for a moment, and I think I was the only one who noticed it. And then it was gone.

"Where are you going?" Tobias asked as Elfangor went into the hall.

"To contact Aftran." Elfangor called back "Peace Movement on or not, we cannot accept the word of every random Yeerk who claims to be part of it."

"If this Alice was Empire," I said loudly to Elfangor's retreating back "She would have turned us in and had us all captured by now. She knows who you are. That means Aftran trusts her."

Elfangor turned around slowly. "Your logic is sound. However, I cannot be faulted for wanting confirmation from Aftran herself, now can I?"

Tobias laughed as I was left speechless.

* * *

Exaff

* * *

"How long do you have left?" Richard/Kahpas asked as we entered the house with the children running ahead of us, clutching their candy bags as if they contained gold.

I knew what he meant. How long left in morph. I checked the digital watch he had given to me earlier. "Almost five minutes." I answered. "We cut it close."

I went into the bathroom, locked the door and refreshed my morph. When I came out again I found Richard/Kahpas sitting on the couch. They looked as tired as I felt. I dropped down next to him, wrapping my arms around him and leaning over without thinking about it. I needed to sleep, and I was too tired to care about where it was to happen.

Richard shifted around, and I thought he'd tell me to move, but he just lay back again, his hand through my hair. I moved only once to set the alarm on my watch for an hour and forty-five minutes.

We both fell asleep shortly after that.

"Do you think they'll...?" A little voice whispered from somewhere off in the distance. A part of me wondered who it was.

"Who knows?" Another voice replied "I hope so. I like her."

"Yeah." The first voice agreed.

I opened my eyes, but saw only darkness. As I got my bearings again, the first thing I did was check the watch. The timer showed I still had thirty minutes left to go. _Oh well_, I thought drowsily. I also realized a few things as I became more awake.

One, I was curled up in a very inappropriate position with the Peace Movement partners Richard/Kahpas.

Two, the voices belonged to the children, who I severely hoped couldn't see in the dark either.

The third thing was that at the same time, somehow, I didn't mind any of this at all and felt completely at home.

I carefully removed myself from the coach and heard the girls scamper off to their room.

I again went into the bathroom and refreshed my morphing time, as well as my clothes. As I was coming out into the hall, I heard a voice making a "Pssst" noise. I saw Alice poking her head out of the bedroom, motioning for me to come in.

"Can I talk to you?" She whispered.

"Can _we_ talk to you?" Lily said as if I'd forget about her.

I couldn't say no, even if I did hate the blinding light. "Of course." I told the girls. I closed the door behind me and sat on the candy covered floor with them. "What's going on?"

Alice gave me a sly look. "That's what we wanted to ask _you_!" She cried out triumphantly.

Lily slapped her sister's shoulder, maybe to get her to be quiet, but it just made her give a loud "Ow!".

"Girls!" I said, letting a tiny bit of an edge into my voice. I softened it as I continued "There's nothing going on with me. I don't know where you got that idea."

"Well," Lily said slowly, her eyebrows bunching up in concentration "We got that idea from you and dad. You were sleeping together, and you took us trick or treating, and you-"

"We thought since mom's been gone that maybe dad found-" Alice said over her sister, though I noticed she stumbled over the word "Gone".

I almost gasped as all the pieces fell into place in my mind. Viewed from their Human, innocent perspectives, it almost looked like...Of course it all looked like _that_!

But could I stand to correct them on it? How could I do so without hurting their little hearts? "Girls..." I said softly. "I know what it..Looks like, but it's..It's not."

They exchanged glances, both looked heartbroken, and in that instant I knew I had blown it.

"Why isn't it?" Alice asked, her lower lip wobbling, a sure sign that she was going to cry. I knew that enough from Melanie: Whenever the lower lip started to tremble, crying was sure to follow.

"Because..." I struggled to find something, anything to make this easier. I was suddenly drowning in emotion. "Because we're just friends." I said. It sounded lame even to my ears and the truth was, I wasn't so sure if we were just friends. Were we starting to become more? Was it even possible to become something more? Could it even work?

Why was I even entertaining the idea? I knew some part of me wanted this. It was as clear as day. This was where some part of me wanted to be. But did the rest of me want it, and was that small part worth listening to?

Faced with the girls, I admitted aloud. "But I wouldn't mind becoming something more with him." I remembered a phrase other Humans said all the time about relationships, and decided it was applicable. "I think it's too early to tell."

The girls looked at me in silence, and I couldn't tell if they'd burst into tears or smiles. I decided to wait them out and see which way it went.

"But it could happen?" Lily asked me after a minute, tentative.

"I..." _Damn it all..._ "It could happen." I strangled out, fighting wih myself.

"Do you want it to happen?" Alice said boldly.

"I don't know." I replied, getting up off the floor. "I have to go now. I have work to do." I felt cornered.

"Will you come back?" Alice asked.

I stared at her face, and saw the "Cry lip" was still shivering. "Of course I'll come back." I said with a smile. "I just have to get some work done."

"At night?" Lily said skeptically as I opened the door.

I lowered my head, putting my brunette hair around my face so I didn't have to look at her, a trick I had learned from Melanie. "Yes, at night. I work nights, sometimes." Then I walked out of the room, grabbed my coat, and left the house entirely.

"Hello?" Elfangor answered the door, then smiled when he saw it was me, despite the late hour. "Oh, hello. Would you like to come inside?"

"That's why I'm here." I said, barely containing a grin as I stepped into the familiar house.

"It's a cold time." He said, nodding at my coat covered form.

I sighed as Elfangor led me into the living room. "It'll only get colder as December rolls in." He offered me something to drink, and I declined.

"Has something happened?" Elfangor asked. He was all blunt tonight, it seemed.

"Nothing like that." I rubbed my arms through my coat, trying to get them warm again. "I was just stuck in a situation that I needed to get away from, and you were the closest place that I felt like I could go."

"A combat situation?"

I laughed at that "No, Prince Elfangor. It was a regular situation. A Human situation." I amended.

"Ah." Elfangor's smile returned. "I myself often have difficulties with extracting myself from those situations."

"Humans." I said. I was smiling now too.

Elfangor uncrossed his arms and looked into the hall. "Humans, indeed. Tobias, Melanie, since you are so intent upon eavesdropping, come and meet our guest."

The two teenagers emerged from the dark hall-way, faces showing their shock. "How did you know we were there?" Tobias said, awed.

Elfangor's eyes flashed "I have not lived this long by being ignorant of my surroundings."

"You were clumsy as a child." Melanie said, bitter over being found out.

"That I was, but no longer." Elfangor said, his smile turning to a grin.

"Hello." I said to the two, keeping myself composed.

"Hi." They said back.

We stared at one another for a few moments. "Don't worry," I said, breaking the silence "I know who you are. Humans with the ability to morph."

"How?" Tobias said.

"Aftran." I said in answer. "She knows what Cassie knows, and she trusts no one more completely than me, except for perhaps Exaff."

"Our secret seems to be getting around." Melanie said worriedly.

Elfangor put up his hands for calm. "It is known by only four Yeerks, all of whom we trust completely. Aftran, Exaff, Lissim, and Alice." He smiled at me. "It is hardly an epidemic. We have more Chee than Yeerks that know of our secret, anyway."

Melanie flinched upon hearing my true name within those "Completely trusted" individuals, and I felt my heart sink. Her opinion of me seemed to be so low now...

"And Malvaro. The new Visser Three." Tobias added. "Though it seems like she only sort of maybe knows."

"She is a cunning Yeerk, worthy of the rank of Visser." Elfangor admitted. "No doubt she will put the pieces of the puzzle together at some point. We are quite lucky to have her on our side, regardless."

"How is Exaff doing?" Melanie whispered to me, though she was staring down at the carpet.

I was surprised by the question, and considered how to respond. "She's been doing fine. Though...Her and other members of the peace movement are sad for you. For your loss. They want to offer condolences. Exaff regrets what she did, and she's told us all that several times in fact." I knew I was treading dangerous waters with that last part, but I owed it to Melanie to do anything I could to help her heal.

Melanie looked up at me and offered a half smile. "Thanks for the pity."

I frowned. "It's not pity, girl. It's sympathy."

"All the same, thanks." She said, looking down at the floor again.

Tobias slipped his hand in hers, and I was surprised that the sight of that, and the implications, didn't bother me.

As the two went upstairs again, Elfangor gave me a bow. "That was most kind of you."

"I meant it. We all do. We're not heartless, Prince Elfangor."

Elfangor paused for a heartbeat "I know."

"Some Yeerks reported a break-in a few days ago to one of the Empire's facilities." I said for conversation's sake.

"That was us." He glanced up the stairs with a scowl. "Some of us, anyway. Though it was reported to be a false trail. Little more than a distraction."

"That's true." I said approvingly. "I can tell you that in the new community center opening up downtown, there is a Yeerk Pool entrance, and the reason for the false trail is there too."

"Is that all you know?" Elfangor huffed, arms crossed again.

"It is." I grimaced "Sorry." I really wanted to tell him flat out what it was, what was at stake. But because of my morph, my identity, there was no way I could do so. I couldn't come up with a viable story, as I had with Aftran being attributed as the source of my knowledge.

I couldn't tell Elfangor that there was an anti-morphing ray being created in the bowels of the Yeerk Pool, or that my alter ego Malvaro was overseeing the project.

"I find myself thanking a great amount of Yeerks these days." Elfangor said with a smile.

"You're welcome. As for the community center, you could scout it out. Do some reconnaissance and find a way to get at it." I suggested. "Isn't that what you do best?"

"That we do."

* * *

Melanie

* * *

‹David, get further away! We're supposed to be brothers, not mates!› Tobias was snapping at David as we flew to the community center. Despite Tobias's tone, David obeyed. Tobias seemed strangely attuned to the working of bird morphs, and I mean at a level far beyond what was normal for knowing an animal's instincts and habits while morphed.

It was just David, Tobias and I on this mission. The alternamorphs, as we had started referring to ourselves. (I didn't come up with the stupid name) None of us felt at home with Jake, Cassie, Rachel, or Marco. We felt comfortable when it was just the three of us together. We didn't mix with the Animorphs, except for Ax.

It wasn't supposed to be a difficult mission. Just go to the community center and scout it out. Keep an eye out for guard habits and possibly the Pool entrance, Elfangor had instructed. Easy in and out, back to our homes in time for the school dance tonight.

At least that's what we had told ourselves before we arrived.

The three of us flew down, around the tents, the party, and the people. We flew past the playground and over the still under construction building. Thankfully it had no roof, so we were able to spy inside of it. There were couches, chairs, an indoor pool, tables. We memorized the guard routes, counting eight so far, and one by one we dipped down into the unfinished building, demorphing behind furniture.

The first time I stepped on a nail made me wish I could morph shoes. "Putain!" I screamed as the nail went through my foot, reverting to my native language without thinking. It was a good thing I did, because I didn't want to be discovered, and then have to explain why a foul mouthed teenage girl was hiding out in a half finished building with two guys.

As it was, two very alert security guards came rushing up from a stair-well that was marked as "Off limits", which made me think "Yeerks".

"Hey!" One, a guy in his thirties said. "What the heck are you kids doing in here?"

"This place is still under construction, you know!" The other, older one shouted over my frantic screams, as if he was concerned for our safety at all. I would have laughed if not for the fact that I was gritting my teeth and trying not to scream anymore (And not succeeding) or put my foot on the ground.

Tobias and David looked at each other, then at me. Then at the guards.

"Somebody help me here!" I yelled furiously. I sat down on the floor, still holding my foot and screaming. I almost fainted when I saw the nail. It was nearly all the way in, sticking out the top of my foot, and it was big. Again I felt the urge to laugh. _Come here to stop Yeerks, get stopped by a large nail,_ I thought.

Tobias knelt in front of me and examined the under-side of my foot. His face went pale. David stood there like an idiot staring at the guards as they came closer.

The younger guard got down beside Tobias and looked at my foot, maybe thinking I was lying, while the older one took out a cell phone.

"Hey what are you doing?" Tobias shouted, noticing the phone.

"Calling nine one one, kid." The guy replied smoothly "Do you want to help your lady friend or not?"

The guard in front of me stared helplessly at my foot. I just wanted them to go away. I knew it would hurt, I knew it would be pain beyond pain but if I could just get it pulled out I could morph away the injury...

"Get them away." I tried to tell Tobias and David, but it came out as more of a loud, anguished screech.

I think Tobias realized what I had in mind, for he started to morph. Remarkably, the two guys stumbled back, utterly terrified, and they ran from the building as Tobias was half-way to Hork-Bajir.

"That's lucky of us. We get the two guards who are still Human." David said over my screams. If I could think normally I would have called Ellimist interference. It was one of Marco's ever useful sayings: When in doubt, blame the Ellimist.

Tobias didn't stop morphing, and he turned around to face me when he was fully Hork-Bajir. He picked me up with David's help and took me down into the basement. We ignored all the computer screens and shut the metal door, locking it behind us. Tobias knelt in front of me and extended his clawed hand. ‹This is gonna hurt allot, Mel. Just try not to scream...Anymore than you already are. As soon as I take that thing out, you morph bug, or bird, anything that comes to mind, then back to Human. Okay?›

I nodded, sweating and keeping my jaw clamped together so hard that it felt like my teeth would shatter. I closed my mouth even tighter as I felt the sharp claws dig into my skin as if they were two more nails. As they gripped the nail and gave an experimental tug I let loose a pain crazed shriek so high David covered his ears.

‹Damn› Tobias said shakily, and I didn't think about that it was the first time I'd ever heard him swear. ‹Okay Mel...I'm just gonna...Just pull it out fast. Like a band-aid.›

"JUST DO IT ALREADY!" I screamed as my foot flexed and the muscles contracted around the nail.

Tobias gripped the nail tighter and gave a second tug, stopping immediately when I let out another terrible series of sobbing cries. "Just do it..." I whispered, seeing the world start to go dark as I nearly passed out. He pulled again, this time ignoring my cries and protests. He pulled harder, and harder and harder and slowly the nail slid out. My fingernails were digging into my palms. My body was shaking and I was thrashing around, now making it very hard for him to hang on and keep pulling the nail out.

It felt like forever, and I'm not sure when, but I passed out completely.

I woke up, feeling my sweat soaked body, feeling a pool of wetness under my foot, and I realized it was blood. I realized Tobias, who was Human again, and David, were talking to me, urging me to morph as I started to panic and cry again. But it wasn't from the pain, in fact, I didn't feel any pain at all now, and I knew I had to be in shock.

Which was a very bad thing.

I started morphing, not caring what I picked, and soon I found myself as a cat in front of two guys. But I wasn't just any kitty. I was Tobias's cat, named Dude.

"I didn't know you acquired my cat." Tobias said, laughing. "When did you do that?"

‹A long, long time ago.› I told him in private thought-speak. I spotted the bloody nail a few feet away. ‹And I never, ever, want to do that again.›

Tobias agreed, and I couldn't tell who was more traumatized by the experience: Him or me.

He picked me up and started to pet me, and I purred in his arms. David coughed loudly. "Hey, we should get out of here and get back to the recon, don't you think?"

"Yeah." Yeah. Tobias and I said at the same time.

* * *

Exaff

* * *

"You're off the project." I was acting as my Visser alter ego now, and I was faced with a very deranged, psychotic, and angry blond haired teenager. She could have been beautiful, if not for the plastic face, the false arm, and the glinting in her eyes that clearly said: I'm insane.

She wasn't an ordinary Human teenager. She was a voluntary Controller.

Her name was Taylor, and she was, again, very angry. "What do you mean I'm off the project? I am Sub-Visser-Fifty-One! You chose me for this, you gave this to me! How can you just take it away?" Her face twisted, and she started to sob. "How could you do this to me? Why are you doing this?!"

I stared at the girl, trying to stay calm. Yeerk and Human were fused together like their minds were thrown into a blender, and the result was a crazed, bi-polar being. Sometimes moody, smart, emotional teenager. Sometimes cunning, cold, ruthless Yeerk.

It was unnerving, to say the least. "You're off the project, Taylor." I repeated. They didn't answer to anything else, strangely enough. Only the host's name, as if they both thought they were her, though sometimes not. Taylor disturbed me to no end.

"Yes Visser." She said, having a moment of clarity or something. She turned around smartly and stalked out of the room, high heels clicking on the tile floor.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I swear I could literally feel the insanity radiating from her presence when she was around, in much the same way as the mental projections of malice Esplin could put out with his Andalite telepathy. Well, that's one obstacle removed from the Animorph's path, I thought, knowing they'd be grateful to not encounter someone like Taylor.

I waited a good five minutes before leaving the room myself, just so I wouldn't run into the girl again, and headed to my favorite place: The cafe. I didn't notice Taylor listening to a phone call, then taking the lift system up to the city.  
I swaggered into the cafeteria. I deserved a good meal. I was a Visser, after all. I sat down in the corner with a steak and peppered rice on my plate. My cell phone buzzed in alert almost as soon as I started eating. I flipped it open and answered, recognizing the number instantly.

"Hello?" I said, and gratefully, the entire cafe quieted down by a considerable amount. I smiled. The perks of being a Visser.

"Hi?" A small voice said hesitantly. "Who is this?"

I almost kicked myself, realizing I was answering my true self's phone, Exaff/Alice's phone, in my Malvaro morph.

"Hello?" The girl's voice asked. It was Lily, and she sounded upset.

"Yes?" I replied. "This is...Rochelle." I made up quickly. It wouldn't matter anyway. After this screw up, I knew I'd never make this idiotic mistake again.

"Oh." The urgency drained from her voice with that single word. "Can you put Alice on the phone please?"

"She's not here, I'm sorry." I answered sincerely.

"Oh." Lily said again. "Well can you tell Alice when you see her that she has to come over here as fast as possible? It's kind of an emergency."

"Sure, I promise." I said, and I really meant it. "I'll go find her and have her call you back in a few minutes, okay honey?" _Honey._ My breath left me as I realized the word that had slipped out.

"OK, sure." Lily said. Her voice was relieved. I hung up and then left the cafe, glaring at the Controllers as I passed them by.

I went across the Pool and into the bathrooms, locking myself in a stall. I stripped off my clothes and demorphed, then went into my true Human morph. "Hello again, Alice." I said to myself, picking up the phone again and dialing the number back. I didn't bother to put the clothes on again. I wasn't entirely sure they would fit my new body, anyway.

"Is this Alice now?" The voice said impatiently as the phone clicked in.

"It's me." I assured Lily "What's wrong?"

"Oh thank god it's you! You have to get here quick, OK?"

"Slow down," I said calmly "What's going on?" I repeated.

"It's my dad. He's gone! He's been gone all day now, and I don't know what to do, so I called you! I thought he was late from work, but it's been hours. Can you come over? Can you get people to go search for him or something?"

My blood went cold. Kahpas was missing? Was it the Empire's fault, or one of those random Earth accidents that seemed to happen all too frequently? How could I go over and watch the children and still maintain my lives? I always planned it out. But this, this was unexpected. Inconvenient.

"I'll be over there soon. Just stay calm. Do you have food, water?" I questioned quickly. "How's Alice doing? Is she okay?"

"We have food and water, don't worry about _that_!" Lily reassured me. "Alice is okay, so am I. We're just worried and sad."

"Okay. I promise I'll see you soon. We'll get this sorted out." I said, trying to end the conversation now.

"Okay." Lily said brightly before hanging up.

I remorphed into Malvaro, put on her clothes again, and left the bathroom.

I headed for the air-lift. I rode it up into the city, coming out in the middle of an abandoned building. The cell phone rang again, and when I answered it this time, it was to a very panicked, screaming child. I could hear crashing and banging in the background.

"ALICE! GET HERE NOW!" Just as I opened my mouth to respond, the phone line went dead.

I ran out of the building, realizing I was at the new community center that was opening. I left the basement, up the stairs and into the sunlight. Out onto the grass.

‹Hey, Visser! What's up?› A familiar thought-speak voice called to me. I snapped my head up as I ran across the slick park grass and spotted three birds flying close together. Too close to be real birds. One of them was David. ‹So that's where the new entrance is. Welp, mission accomplished, eh moppy?› David said distractedly. ‹Only took us a day and one nail-through-foot.›

I ignored him and bounded toward a Human called a "Biker" who was just pulling up onto the side of the road.

‹Uh. What are you doing?› David asked, completely puzzled. I still ignored him.

In five steps I was on the man, shoving him back off his bike at the precise moment he swung his leg over it. I snatched the keys as he fell, swung onto the motorcycle myself and started it up. The man stood, cursing at me as I tried to figure out how to make the thing move.

It looked so much easier in movies!

‹Grand theft Visser.› David commented, as if he were a spectator at a sporting event.

‹David, whoever the other two of you are up there, get this guy off my back right now.› I thought frantically up at them ‹This is an emergency!›

‹On it!› Tobias called down after a moment. They all screeched, then dived as one. The man had his arms around me, and then he didn't as the three Animorphs rained down over and over again on his head. They didn't claw his face, no doubt due to that silly moral about not hurting real Humans.

I shoved my arm back and nailed the man in the nose, causing him to stumble back even more. I revved up the engine and pressed on the pedal. Finally, I felt it move.

Too fast! I sped off down the street, the wind whipping my blood red hair behind me wildly. ‹Thanks for the help. I owe you this one.› I called up to the Animorphs as a last second thought.

‹No problem.› I heard Melanie say faintly, followed by David commenting ‹What's the emergency? Sheesh.›

I turned the corner, hoping against hope that I wouldn't scrape the road and spin out, and probably die. I swerved past two cars, avoided a pedestrian at the cross-walk, and continued on downtown.

I reached the house some thirty minutes later and I realized then that I didn't know how to slow down or park the motorcycle in an elegant manner, so I simply stood up and leaped off. I rolled across the lawn, coming to a stop at the door. I was up again in an instant. I shoved the door open and bolted inside. I went down the hall, passed the kitchen, passed the living room and straight into the girl's room.

It was trashed. Everything was strewn about. Toys, bedding, furniture. I saw slash marks on the floor and walls.

"God damnit!" I screamed at the empty room, sinking to the floor. I sat there, head in my arms, trying to stop myself from raging some more. _Raging won't help anyone. It won't help Richard or Kahpas or the girls,_ I told myself firmly. _Don't you dare lose it Exaff! Keep your cool, figure this out. Do something about it._

Suddenly I heard footsteps coming from the hall. Several footsteps. I jumped to my feet. I balled my hands into fists, my eyes were trained on the door. I relaxed when the three familiar people came into view.

"It seems like you need some help." David said. I saw Tobias and Melanie standing behind him.

"Maybe." I replied even as I strode past them, out of the room.

"We want to help you." Melanie called after me.

"Whatever" I snapped, straightening out my scarlet hair. I was out the door now.

"You sort of have to tell us what's going on first." Said Tobias.

I didn't look back at them, any of them. I wasn't sure what would happen if I did. In this state of mind I wasn't sure I could maintain my persona any longer. I swung my leg over the motorcycle and started the engine. I risked a glance at the three Animorphs. "I think the Empire has gotten to a member of the peace movement. A friend of mine who lived here in this house." I said shortly. "And his partner's children were just taken within the last hour. I can't let anything happen to them, so if you Animorphs want to help, I'll gladly accept it."

They looked between each other, seeming to communicate in silence, then they all nodded at me, one by one. "Alternamorphs, glad to help." Tobias said as he started to morph a bird.

"What?" I said, absent-minded.

"Alternamorphs." David said, sighing "Us three. We're the outcasts in the band."

"Do you know where you're going?" Melanie asked quietly. I looked at her. Slowly I shook my head "No."

"But I'll hazard a guess that they've been taken to the nearest Empire controlled facility, due for infestation." I added.

‹Which is where?› Tobias asked.

I racked my brain, going through all the locations in my head, and my heart sank as i realized the most likely place they would be taken for infestation. And there was no way I could get there in time, much less the Alternamorphs...

I looked up at the blue sky, and that did it. I remembered the latest morph I had acquired. Yes! I could save them. I could save all of them. And I wouldn't need to risk the Alternamorph's lives, or my cover.

I got off the motorcycle and demorphed as fast as I could, then I started to morph the latest bits DNA that were flowing through my veins.

The changes were different than anything else I'd known before. Four legs shot out beneath me, my slug-like body expanded and twisted. Fur rippled out over my body, arms sprouted out with more fingers than a Human, but they were stronger than an Andalite's. My head shifted into something like a racer's helmet. Swept back, bony. Unlike Andalites, my tail was blade-less, and my head had no stalk eyes.

I was a Garatron. ‹I'll be back.› I tried saying, but what it came out as was an incredibly fast ‹I'llbeback› Then I was off. I didn't worry about Humans seeing me. I was so fast they wouldn't see a thing. I was so fast I could run on water. It only took seconds for me to get to the abandoned supermarket. I tore down the street, turned a corner, and another, passed six blocks in two seconds, and stop! I was there.

The supermarket was still left up as a convenient cover entrance for a private, underground Yeerk lab facility. I ran into the store, down the aisles, into the back room, stopping in front of the familiar entrance. I pressed in on the left side of a bolted on shelf, then I turned an electric outlet and slid my hand over the wall.

The wall split down the middle and parted like curtains on a stage. I was in, past a group of Controllers, past a scientist and some guards. I came to a stop as a horrible sight met my eyes. It was Taylor, along with Lily, Alice, and Kahpas/Richard. The two girls were clearly infested, as I saw they were helping Taylor with calculations for something. I felt a swelling of pure, unfiltered hatred within the confident, easy-going mind of the Garatron. How dare this Yeerk defy my orders? The orders of a Visser! How dare she go behind my back on this? How could she take these children? How had she found out about Kahpas?

Who else has she told?

_None of it matters,_ I thought at Garatron speed. _At the end of the day, nothing is beyond her. Nothing binds her. She has to be stopped, for everyone's sake._ She was, as the Humans said, a wild card.

Taylor turned, finally noticing me. "Why hello inspector. What a pleasant surprise. I do love surprises."

I didn't say a word. There was nothing to say. I charged at Taylor, fast as a bullet, no, faster. I hit her straight on, slamming her against the wall. Crushing her bones with my weight. I backed up and sped forward again. I hit her again and again, pulverizing her body until her lungs collapsed and her ribs pierced through her organs.

I never stopped until she was dead. She fell to the floor, blood and internals sticking out of her chest, seeping out of her clothes. It was too much even for me, and I had to look away from the gruesome sight. I sped back through the facility and knocked out a cliche white lab coat scientist woman, then I remorphed to Human and donned her clothes.

"No one moves, or I put this place into self destruct. I've sealed the main entrance as it is." I lied, putting coldness into my voice. Wisely, they obeyed. I hurried back over to the main room and went straight for Kahpas/Richard. He was sitting blankly in a cage, battered and bruised beyond measure. Then I moved my eyes to the infested girls, who just didn't seem to know what to do now. "Leave your hosts and I'll let you live." I said menacingly. The Yeerks in them seemed to value their lives more than following Taylor's commands, and they crawled out of the children's ears without a fuss. I took the Yeerks in my hands and tossed them into the nearby miniature Pool.

"What did they do to you?" I murmured as I unlocked the cage containing my friend and helped him out.

"Taylor...Had too much fun." Kahpas/Richard rasped. "It became a game to her after she discovered I didn't have the information she needed."

"What information?" I asked, holding him close to me.

"The identities of the Andalite bandits among Humans, other members of the peace movement, and the morphing cube."

"Why would Taylor think you would know that in the first place?" I questioned softly "I can guess how you might have given yourself away as a peace movement member, somehow. But the cube? The Andalites?" I set him down in a chair and spared a look at Lily and Alice. "You know only Aftran and I know where it is. If Taylor wanted it, why not kidnap her or me?"

Both girls were sitting close together on the floor. Mute, seemingly lifeless. There wasn't any doubt that forceful infestation was terrible in itself, but I also didn't doubt that Taylor had made them watch as she tortured their father, something even more terrible. And now there was the question of what to do with them now that they'd been thrust into this secret world.

Kahpas gripped my hand tightly. I turnd my eyes back to him. "It's not the case. Taylor, like everyone else, never knew what you and Aftran do. Another Yeerk was caught out, and he pointed fingers in my direction. Told the Empire I knew all that..."

"We can't hold it against him." I said. "The Empire is very thorough. I'm sure you would have-"

"Never." He growled, sitting up a little straighter. "Even under the most terrible of circumstances, I would never betray a fellow peace member to save my own skin."

"I believe you." I said, trying to reassure my friend. "You never left Richard's body. You didn't give in and leave. I do believe you."

"What about my children?" Richard gasped, fighting through pain to take control. He spotted his daughters on the floor, and tears came to his eyes.

"They'll be taken care of. We'll take care of them." I whispered soothingly. "The girls will be alright." Though, when I glanced over at them again myself, I wasn't sure I believed my own words.

"Do you think it's safe to go home?" Said Richard, his eyes pleading "To continue life normally? Taylor was rogue! The empire at large doesn't know about me or my girls, or any of this. Just Taylor and the handful of people in this facility with her."

I knew how to read between the lines. I knew what he was asking of me. What he was really saying. I stepped away from him, and without a word I picked up a dracon beam. I left the room, shutting the door behind me.

Then, away from the eyes and ears of the children, I found and killed every last person in the complex.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Rights to Animorphs and its respective characters belong to the respective parties.  
Warning: Minor adult content in some chapters. and swearing. Also, a higher-than-likely chance that things may be lifted directly from the text without warning, scenarios imitated, battles poorly written. Also, long chapters. The story generally follows the series!

A/N: Honestly I'm going to stop putting (From this book to this book) Because at this point the timeline is merging and changing and all so things are way out of order so there's really no point! And YES I know it's because I'm cutting out allot of book content, but it's just because I think CERTAIN BOOKS were really stupid or weird or uneccessary filler! And I'm going to write custom missions and stuff for them anyway. So it's not like there's no story without the books!

Type: AU

Summary: How would the war have gone if Elfangor decided to hightail it out of there when the Animorphs came across his ship, ensuring his survival? Not interesting enough for you? Hear this then: What would have happened if a Controller was there too, and became the sixth Animorph?

Read this to find out! Follow along from book one to book fifty four. And beyond.

A/N: Sorry this is one of the shorter ones! SOME PEOPLE are just impatient fans!

So enjoy and review and stuff. :D

End of A/N

* * *

Melanie

* * *

"So you offered to help the Visser?" Said Marco for the hundredth time.

"Yes, we did." I replied for the equally hundredth time, rubbing my eyes at the lights that contrasted with the darkness outside. I wasn't happy with retelling the same story over and over again, but at least David, Tobias and I had gotten back here without any trouble, and reported the entrance location to Elfangor.

"And then she morphed some super speed powered Andalite and just ran off?" He pressed on.

"Yes." I snapped, pushing him off the edge of the recliner chair. "I know it sounds crazy, but that's what happened."

"Do you know if she's alright?" Cassie asked. "Do you think she did save them?"

"We don't know, okay?" David said, annoyed. "We didn't stick around there like you and Jake would have made us do. She's a Visser, she can take care of herself and whoever else she wants to just great."

Jake scowled, and Marco pushed himself close to David. "What's your problem with Jake?"

David put on a sneer that he seemed to reserve just for Marco these days. "He's not a very effective leader, is all. You can't handle that, that's your problem pal. Now Elfangor, he's a leader. Every battle we go into with that guy at the front, we all come out okay. Mission accomplished."

‹Jake is Human, and fairly inexperienced.› Ax said, joining the conversation. ‹It is to be expected that he would not perform in a position of leadership as well as my brother does.›

Everyone exploded at once, jumping on Ax for "Siding with David" as Marco put it, and "Insulting Jake" as Rachel said.

Ax shrugged his Andalite shoulders. ‹It is a simple fact.›

"Not cool Ax, not cool at all." Marco said, glaring at Aximili.

‹Does this mean that I cannot attend the school dance tonight?› Ax said uncertainly.

Before Marco could lie to the poor guy, I stepped in and said "It doesn't mean that. He's just upset because you hurt Jake's feelings."

‹I did not mean to offend Jake.› Ax said, apologetic. ‹I had only meant to point out that David was correct in the fact of the matter.›

That started up the argument all over again. I was relieved when it was finally time to head down to the school. I gave a small smile to Tobias before hurrying to the upstairs bathroom while the others left. I had a surprise for him, and I hoped he wouldn't be disappointed. I spent the next thirty minutes preparing, and I heard an almost reluctant knock on the door. "You okay in there Mel?" Tobias called. I knew he was thinking about...But no. I wouldn't do that anymore. I didn't need to.

"I'm fine." I called back, letting the curled hair go free and slipping into my dress hurriedly "I'm just getting ready for the dance."

I heard Ax say something on the other side of the door that, to my ears, sounded allot like ‹Perhaps we should leave without her?› I heard Tobias disagree.

"I'm finished now! Don't you dare leave without me!" I shouted as I stepped into my high heel shoes. I was proud to say that I didn't stumble once. It wasn't too much of a surprise though. I HAD been practicing walking in them for days.  
I flung open the door and saw Tobias and Ax standing there. Ax looked very torn between leaving and staying. Tobias's eyes widened as he saw me, and Ax's did as well.

"Wow." Said Tobias, taking in me in my entirety. From the red dress with the leg slit to the dark, shiny, curly hair and dark blue eyeliner.

I fixed Tobias with a glare. "Just wow? I spend all this time preparing and put all of this effort into this and you give me a: Wow?"

"I-I meant wow, you're so beautiful and amazing that I don't have any words to use otherwise!" Tobias burst out with a huge grin.

I grinned back at him and took his hand. "Thank you. Oh and Ax?" I said, turning to the alien.

"You look very remarkable, by Human standards." Ax stuttered, his eyes darting to Tobias and back. "Ah..I mean that you appear as the Human females do on television commercials...Impressive, yes! You look impressive." He threw a guilty glance at Tobias as he finished, who just stood there and laughed.

I giggled at the fumbling alien who was usually so good with his words. "I didn't want you to compliment me." I teased, sticking out my tongue "I just wanted you to get that silly look off your face. Now are you ready to go?"

"I...Yes." Ax said, deciding that to stay silent was the best course of action. We set out of the house together, though we paused when Elfangor called out "Behave yourselves." to which Tobias responded with a loud "You know we never do!" which earned him a swat on the arm from me.

* * *

There we were at the dance, pretending not to know one another. Well, the Animorphs were. We Alternamorphs were resolutely making no effort whatsoever to conceal our friendships and more than friendships. I was talking with David about which animal could beat which in a fight, when the music changed. I perked up, smiling as a slow song (Eden White's "Song Unsung") came on. It was an American favorite of mine, and I wondered at the coincidence. After all, it wasn't a well known song among Americans at all. Still, I immediately sought out Tobias, finding him sitting on the bleachers and talking with a girl I didn't know.

"Dance with me, Tobias." I said, putting out my hand. He took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, giving an apologetic grin at the girl he left behind. He turned his attention back to me and placed his hands shyly on my hips. I gently grasped his shoulders and started to rock us back and forth, a smile growing on my face.

At first it was slow, back and forth: Steady. But then Tobias took the initiative, starting to spin us around slowly. I wrapped my arms around his neck and stared into his eyes. There was nothing else but him in the room as we danced away. Soon, Tobias was grinning full out, and he twirled me around in his arms. Back and forth, twirling and spinning we danced across the floor. Neither of us realizing we had attracted an audience. I laughed as I badly came out of a twirl, falling into his arms.

"We only have a couple of hours together... I have a curfew tonight." I told him quietly.

Tobias smiled down at me. "I would gladly sacrifice forever with strangers for a single moment with someone I love."

My heart fluttered in my chest. "That's beautiful. Shakespeare?"

"My father." Tobias's smile turned mysterious, and then he bent down and kissed me on the lips.

Neither one of us cared that the other Animorphs were watching us, or the entirety of the school, including the teachers. We completely ignored the cat calls and whistles as we kissed right there in the middle of the dimly lit gym.

* * *

Exaff

* * *

The morning after the rescue, I was the first one awake. Or so I thought. As I wandered into the kitchen, I found Alice sitting at the table, and figured her sister must have still been asleep.

"You're an alien. Right?" She asked quietly "Like the ones that kidnapped us?" My heart skipped at the bluntness of the question. I pulled up a chair and sat across from her, instinctively taking her hands in mine.

"I am an alien, yes." I replied softly, staring into her eyes. "But not like the ones that kidnapped you, I promise you that." I paused to consider my next words. "I'm a good alien. There are good guys and bad guys, even among aliens. I'm one of the good guys. I'm trying to save the Earth from the bad ones."

"Oh." A smile played across her face, then- "You're doing a really good job."

"Sometimes it doesn't seem like it." I admitted. I grasped her hands a little tighter. "Your father-"

"He's an alien too, I know." I raised my eyebrow, and she shrugged "I figured it out while we were kidnapped. They asked him a bunch of questions and called him Kappy, or Kappa..."

"Kahpas." I supplied quietly. I remembered Melanie's sister, and how she had used that same phrase, more or less: "My relative is an alien". That idea wasn't correct, and it had led to trouble. I had to correct that here. "Your FATHER isn't an alien. He just has an alien IN him. The same kind of alien that was in your head. Your father is still, and will always be, your father, Alice. Do you understand this?"

She shrugged. "I guess. So Kahpas is good? The evil aliens said he was a peace York, or something." The girl was struggling to remember.

"A peace movement Yeerk, like me." I corrected her gently. "The peace movement is an organization. A group of Yeerks who don't like going around doing bad things to everyone. So we try to do good things."

Her face lit up at that. "Like rescuing Humans?"

I smiled, pleased that she understood. "Exactly. Kahpas is what we call a partner to your father." I started slowly "Your father found out about the bad aliens somehow, and they tried to control him and hurt him for it. But the peace movement rescued him, and your father likely agreed to let Kahpas be in his head to help him deal with this strange new world. They're friends, and they help each other to keep Earth, and you and your sister, safe."

I could tell Alice had followed it all, for she nodded a few times and didn't appear to be confused after I was finished. Still, she seemed to be thinking something over for a minute. "How come you don't have to go into anyone's head? You just turn into whoever you want. Even other aliens. Why don't all Yeerks use it?"

I sighed. "That's a very long story. But as for why we don't all use it...It's because in order to turn into other things, you have to have a very rare piece of alien technology, and I'm one of the few Yeerks who have come into contact with it."

"I bet it makes life way easier." She said brightly.

"It does. It really does."

"Is your name really Alice, like mine, or was that all a lie?" She asked suddenly.

I almost smiled. "It wasn't a lie. I've never lied to you. I have a Human name, Alice, and an alien name. My Yeerk name, which is Exaff."

"Exaff." she said in wonder. "It's a good name."

"I always thought so too." I said with a laugh. "But you'll have to call me Alice when we're around anyone that isn't your father or your sister. It's very important that you do this. In order to protect Earth, I have to be secret. No telling your friends, no...Anything."

"Well..." Alice fidgeted in her seat. "Can't I get a peace movement Yeerk in me too? You said that's why my dad did it. So he doesn't have to be alone with the secrets. I think I'll go crazy if I can't talk about this with other people."

I actually didn't think I had said that, at least not as if it were a fact. But I couldn't rebuke the girl all the same. "You'd have to talk to your father about that, and then we'd have to introduce you to the peace movement to find a Yeerk to match you up with." I told her, trying to get her to think a little more. I knew how impulsive children were. "Someone you would like. And you'd have to feel pain every time the Yeerk comes and goes from your head. And you'd have to have them with you at all times, embarrassing moments, sad moments. Bathroom breaks."

"I know." She said seriously, taking her hands out from under mine and sitting up straight. "The evil one that was in my head last night looked at all my thoughts and stuff. She taunted me about the day my mom died. But I still want a good one. Like you and Kahpas. And I want to meet others in the peace movement. I know I can't fight or anything, but my mom used to say nobody ever helps anyone these days. So at least if I have one good Yeerk in my head, that one will be safe from the fighting too. I can show her all the fun stuff about Earth."

I looked at the girl carefully, weighing her words, which were certainly mature coming from a nine year old Human.

"We'll see." I told her. "But for now, let's wake your sister up and get breakfast."

"I'm already awake!" Lily said, popping up behind me. I jumped about a mile. "What are we having?"

"What..How did you..Where did you come from?" I gasped, clutching my hand over my beating heart. Alice was descending into fits of giggles.

"I came from the hall-way, duh." Lily said, rolling her eyes. "You just didn't notice. When can I get an alien friend?"

"That's not- That's.." I tried to regather my thoughts, but I was having trouble doing that while my heart was still beating rapidly. "You can't have one." I said thoughtlessly. Both girl's faces turned into frowns "Until you talk to your father." I added hastily.

"Do you always sleep for two hours at a time?" Lily asked me, all intensity "That's kinda nuts."

"It's because of my ability to change. To morph." I explained shortly. "If I stay in one form for more than two hours, I'll be trapped in that body forever. Never to change into anything again."

Lily stared at me in surprise "You don't want to be stuck as a Human? Isn't being a Human better than being a Yeerk? That's why you change into one so much."

"True. But as long as I can morph, I can turn into deadly aliens and animals. I can be the perfect spy. The perfect warrior. It's a weapon, really." The children's eyes grew wider as I went on. "But I think after the war, when things are peaceful, I might consider staying Human. When I wouldn't be needed to fight so much." I was surprised at myself. I had finally said it. One of my deepest desires had been laid out on the table. Maybe it was just the power of Human children, I mused. The power to get you to say things you would never say otherwise. But I didn't regret saying it.

* * *

"They want to become symbiotes?" My friend asked while we were pulling into the drive-thru of a Mcdonalds.

I nodded, then said "Alice does, at least. I think Lily is just being a tag-along, and doesn't necessarily want it for any reason."

Richard stroked his facial hair absently, a sign that he was deep in thought. I left him to it and drove forward another few feet. I took the orders, and Richard said "If Alice really is serious about this, then I'll consider it and ask around the peace movement."

"She was dead serious." I responded, looking him full in the face. "You should have heard her."

"I really should have." Richard said ruefully as I handed him his food. I circled back around the restaurant, stopping in the parking lot so I could eat some myself.

I pulled down the sun visor, annoyed with myself for picking a spot that put my eyes on a direct path with the sunlight. "I'm not critisizing you. You were, are, still recovering. And I had a nice long talk with them."

"You're not too bad at this parenting business yourself, Exaff." Kahpas put in, smirking.

"Don't make me wipe that look off your face."

"You'd hurt me to hurt him?" Richard asked, laughing.

"Exactly."

"Hey! Thief!" He said a moment later. I had stolen his french fries for myself.

I just gave a saucy grin. "I steal, harm, and keep secrets. What will you do with such an obvious criminal of Earth?"

"Put you in a maximum containment cell." Kahpas commented dryly.

I knew who was in control after I recieved a swift kiss, along with a whispered "I'll have to keep you so distracted that you won't know what to do anymore."

* * *

Melanie

* * *

"How was your dance last night?" My mother asked. I gave her a quick glance over, then hurried on to my room. I hated being home these days. It was much, much easier being with Tobias and Elfangor.

"I asked you a question, young lady!" My mother persisted.

"I already told you, now shut up and leave me alone!" I snarled at her gaunt face, absent face. This was one of those reasons I hated being at home. My parents had gone off the deep end since my sister's murder. I knew I had too, so I couldn't really blame them, but somehow I thought that they weren't SUPPOSED to. They were supposed to be the adults, the rocks in the wind that didn't move. But here they were, fading away, missing work, not eating well. Having memory problems. And I was mad at them for it.

I slammed the door to my room and locked it, then threw myself on my bed. It didn't feel like my bed lately, either. My bed and my room were at Tobias's. _That's where I really belong,_ I thought glumly.

I lay there, the evening sun washing over me. Then after I couldn't stand it anymore I opened my window and morphed osprey. When the changes were complete, I flew out of my room and headed for David's house. Don't ask me why. I just did.

David was asleep, so I tapped on his window with a talon until I saw his eyes open. It's me, can you hurry up? I asked, eyeing a large bird sitting on the next house over. David flung himself out of bed and raced over to let me in.

David yawned and gave me a displeased look "What was the big hurry?"

"An eagle looked about to swoop down and eat me." I answered once I was fully demorphed.

"Right. Why'd you come here?" David lay back down again, his eyes fixed on the ceiling "Are you and moppy having relationship problems? I can't be much help with that."

I shrugged and sat on the edge of his bed. "Just felt like it. Is that okay with you?"

David shrugged back. "Sure. Why would I have a problem with you?"

"What about when you came after me and Jake for the cube?"

"Oh come on!" David bolted upright, hands raised. "You know I was a different guy then. I didn't know what was at stake or anything. I was just protecting my valuable."

"I was joking." David relaxed at that.

"Okay, cool."

"Yeah."

We descended into a not uncomfortable silence, with David laying down, and me following his lead after a few minutes.

"Hey" I said, working through a thought.

"Yeah?" David craned his head to look at me.

"Does Tobias ever talk to you about his parents?"

"Nah. Now that I think about it, the guy's never said a word about them. Why?"

I thought back to the dance the other night, and about what Tobias had said was a quote from his father "Just wondering."

David sat up again. "Just go ask if you want to know so bad. He'll probably tell you anything at this point."

"How do you figure that?" I said, sitting up too.

David made a disgusted face "Bribe him with a kiss or something."

"You know, I just might do that..."

Then I was off again, into the dawn. I reached Elfangor's house after a difficult, lengthy flight on account of it being a windless day. I demorphed behind the house and went in through the back door.

Tobias smiled when he saw me. "Hey! What's up Mel?" I smiled back as we embraced.

"Nothing." I bit my lip and continued "I just wanted to ask you about something a little personal."

Elfangor stuck his head out of the kitchen and gave me a smile. I was again struck by how similar he and Tobias looked. "You arrived just in time for dinner. Will you be staying?"

"So I did." I said coolly, mocking his formal tone, causing Tobias to laugh. "And yes, I will be staying, thanks." I gave Tobias an impatient look. "After I question my boyfriend about something."

"Run, Tobias." Elfangor said, completely serious. "That look upon a Human female's face can hardly ever mean good news."

"Too late." I said "We'll be back down in time for dinner. Your cooking skills won't go to waste." I dragged Tobias up to his room by his arms, sitting him down with me on the floor.

"What's all this about Mel?" Tobias said in confusion.

"I want to ask you about your parents." I answered bluntly. "You've never said a word about them until last night's dance. I want to know more. I think I maybe even deserve to know more."

Tobias looked down at the floor, then up at me, then down again. "I dunno...My uncle used to say my mom ran off when I was little." I winced at the painful expression he now wore. "And about my father..."

I waited patiently, taking his hand in mine. "Elfangor." Tobias said, looking as if he'd just let loose a massive weight from himself. At first I didn't understand, but then it started to sink in.

"You're saying Elfangor is...Your father?" I started laughing, but stopped when I saw the seriousness in Tobias's demeanor. "That's impossible."

"Is anything impossible in a world of aliens, Ellimists, and who knows what else?" Tobias replied softly. And I had to admit, he had me there. "Come on Mel, you've noticed the signs as much as I have. The little hints and clues. His morph, for example. It looks eerily similar to me, if I were way older."

I nodded at the mention of the morph. I _had_ noticed that. "It's true about the morph, but that's the only thing I can see this idea has going for it."

Tobias seemed encouraged by my words as he pressed on. "What about that he tells me things he doesn't tell anyone else? He's more open with me than any of the others, even more than with you."

"Or that he knows so much about Earth for someone who's been here not even a year..." I said thoughtfully.

"Exactly!" Said Tobias excitedly. "He has to have been on Earth for years before now, maybe. Years and years ago. He just does things way too easily. He was probably here a long time ago for some reason, and met my mother. Then he fell in love with her and they had me."

"That all makes sense. He _is_ very protective of you, and helpful, and extra kind...I mean he adopted you in and did all this for you." I motioned at the house around us. "I don't think he'd do that for, say, me or the others. Not on a whim."

Tobias was grinning now "All the dinners, the ice cream, the fun. Maybe he's trying to get back what he lost, for whatever reason he lost it in the first place. He had to go back to the wars or something maybe. A big leader guy like him can't just run off like that, right?"

I was as excited as him. "Right. But why wouldn't he just tell you who he is?"

Tobias's grin left, and he turned thoughtful. "Maybe...Maybe he was afraid of what I'd think of him. About my mom leaving and all, and about him leaving. Maybe it was just too painful for him to actually say to me. Remember that time I called him dad, as a joke? And he freaked out? Why didn't he just tell me then, unless he was scared I'd hate him?"

Tobias held my hands tightly together as he looked into my eyes. "But the thing is, I wouldn't hate him. I don't hate him for it. Whatever the circumstances, your duty is your duty. If he had to leave to fight this war, how can I hold that against him?"

"You can't." I said softly.

"I can't." Tobias confirmed. "And about that phrase...It was the real clue for me. That's the only thing I remember my father saying to me when I was little, even though I can't picture him. I can hear his voice in my head still sometimes. Just saying that phrase. Just that. And then when I went into Elfangor's room a few days ago...I sort of snooped, and I found that same phrase engraved into this old wooden box."

"What was inside it?" I asked, still thinking over everything he'd said.

Tobias smiled. "Pictures. Of him and my mom. Old pictures. I know that was my mom, because I found two of those same photos back in my aunt's attic a few years ago. I remember them. I just didn't know it was him in them until I saw the duplicates in his room! It all fits, Mel!"

I gazed at Tobias for the longest of times, knowing in my heart and head that what we'd learned was the truth. It had to be. I took Tobias into a hug, holding him as tight as I could. "So what do you want to do?" I whispered in his ear.

"We'll ask him straight out, and tell him all of this." Tobias whispered back "And by the off chance that we're wrong, well, he can't fault us given all this evidence and stuff."

"Do you want to do this right now, or over dinner, or after dinner?" I questioned, pulling back from the embrace to see Tobias's smiling face.

"The food is cooked and ready." Said Elfangor from the doorway, causing both Tobias and I to jump.

"Sure thing." Tobias said easily. He took my hand as we went downstairs after Elfangor. Behind Elfangor's back as we entered the kitchen, Tobias mouthed to me: We'll do this now.

"Elfangor," Tobias said as we all sat down, opening up the conversation. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was going to go for the blurt-it-out tactic. I mentally braced myself as Elfangor turned his focus to Tobias.

To his son. Maybe.

"What is it, Tobias?" I held my utensils with a death grip.

"Are you my father?" There it was, out in the open. Elfangor was shocked, to say the least. He literally dropped his fork and knife. They clattered extra loud in the ensuing silence.

Elfangor opened his mouth a few times, but no words came out. Tobias and I took the opportunity to explain about all the clues, hints, and consistencies we'd encountered and thought over since meeting him. Tobias saved the pictures and the phrase for last, knowing they were the most powerful pieces of evidence. Elfangor listened to us in complete silence, and he didn't even reprimand Tobias for going through his things.

Then he finally spoke up. "That was..Quite the excellent use of investigative skills by the two of you." Tobias started to open his mouth to speak again.

Elfangor sighed. "Yes, it is true Tobias. I am your father."

* * *

Exaff

* * *

"I have to go to work." I told the girls as I pried them off of me.

Alice put on a pout face, but she still moved. "Human work or alien work?"

I smiled at her. "Alien work, I'm afraid. I have to meet with a friend of mine to discuss something very important."

"What is it?" Lily asked, yawning and jumping off the bed. "Is it peace movement stuff, or other stuff?"

"It's not stuff" I said, slipping on my coat and giving her a smile. "But it does involve the peace movement."

"You're going to a peace movement meeting? Can I come?" Alice gave me a stern look, which just looked cute coming from her.

"Not this one."

The two girls graced me with a group hug just before I left, which sent shivers of cheerful, deep emotions through me.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning." I promised them. And I fully intended to keep that promise.

* * *

"Aftran, sorry I'm late." I said, stepping into the old Yeerk lab beneath the supermarket. It wasn't a lab anymore though. It was now the official on Earth meeting site for the peace movement. After Taylor's demise and betrayal, the Empire had swiftly decommissioned it, classifying it as truly abandoned literally overnight. It was their loss, as well as their mistake. It made the perfect, safe, and secure hideout for us.

Brightly lit, a large Yeerk Pool, several miniature ones, food, heat, and some useful pieces of technology. And it was all ours. It also allowed more peace movement Yeerks than ever to converge, and at this particular meeting we had up to thirty members attending.

"Where were you?" Aftran asked, but only out of curiosity. She was never one to pry, though she knew of the relationship and situation with Richard/Kahpas and myself.

"I was just spending time with some Human children." I answered with a little shrug and a grin, taking my seat. "How is Karen? Have you heard from her lately?" I asked her after a second.

Aftran just smiled at me. "She's doing fine, thank you. Her father is finally off the Empire's radar, so there's that."

‹Can we move along?› A male thought-speak voice said. ‹The need for small talk eludes me. Within the hive, we know what we need to know.›

Aftran smiled at a young Human male with long hair, who looked to be around the same age as my own morph. "Not all of us are one with the hive, my friend. But you're right."

"The hive?" I said in confusion. Aftran gave a small nod before calling out to the man "Scerzat, if you would please demorph. I am sure you're low on time as it is."

The man nodded, and I had a bad feeling about this. As did several others, because a few people started edging away from the Human. The man melted away, then reformed into a large Taxxon. Several people gasped, and I couldn't help but scoot my chair back myself.

The Taxxon stood there for a second before, remarkably, it lowered itself to the ground and curled up, much like a dog would.

"Sssscreeeeeeee!" It hissed out lowly in the Taxxon language.

When I turned to Aftran, she still had a smile on her face. "This, is Scerzat." She said to the masses "The first and currently only Taxxon to have acquired the gift. He was a lowly worker class Taxxon, servant of the Empire. But now, he is free. Free to help us, free of his hunger every time he morphs, and free to again hear the voice of the Living Hive on his world."

Aftran's words were impressive, and they seemed to persuade a few peace members to resume their seats.

"This certainly changes things..." I muttered. Aftran heard me, and gave me a reprimanding look.

"This changes nothing." Aftran said loudly "If the Taxxon can benefit from the freeing powers of morphing as much as any Yeerk, who are we to deny them that?"

I nodded in agreement, and I saw several others doing the same. "They're prisoners as much as we are." A woman said, which earned her an approving smile from Aftran.

"Now, is there anyone here from, or knows anything about, the Leeran front?" I asked the crowd. Several people raised their hands.

"They seem to be holding their own pretty well against the Empire." A young girl said. "That mind reading of theirs really gives them the edge."

"Yeah, yeah." A guy said "And the water. The Empire doesn't have very many sea going craft."

"That's good." I said. "What about the Hork-Bajir planet? I know it's already a dead world, but everyone knows as well as I do that the ship-yards can be disrupted, as well as the Pools around there."

I looked hopefully to a group of Hork-Bajir.

"Five ships destroyed days ago." One said proudly.

I gave a nod. "That's better than nothing." The room went quiet. "If there's nothing more to report," I said, giving everyone a glance over. "This meeting is adjourned." I focused my gaze upon the morph-capable Taxxon. "Scerzat, would you stay behind with Aftran and I? We have something important to discuss with you."

* * *

Melanie

* * *

"So you mean to tell me that the probably greatest alien leader guy of his kind that just so happened to crash on Earth is actually your dad?" David was saying, his eyes squinting in the morning sun.

Tobias nodded, taking up the seat at David's desk. David's eyes flickered between Tobias and I, possibly trying to figure out if we were joking or not. When no grins or laughter followed after his words, he lowered his head. "What a world..." He muttered.

"That's pretty much what we said." I told him.

David locked eyes with Tobias "So that means your dad's been here before and all, huh? This wasn't just some happy accident? And by the way, it's so weird to say that."

"Yeah." Tobias said, smiling now. "And my mom-"

"That's a whole other thing dude!" David said. "How does that work?"

"Elfangor was Human for a few years." I explained on Tobias's behalf. "Think about it."

David's face turned disgusted "You know what, I really don't want to. So anyway..." He said, turning his eyes back to Tobias. "Is your mom still around or whatever? Not like I really care!" He added quickly "It's just, us Alternamorphs have to stick together right?"

Tobias nodded. But just said "She's still around."

"You gonna go meet her sometime?" David asked. Tobias lost his smile.

"I'm not even sure. I wouldn't want to go without Elfangor, and he's not sure he wants to either. But we know where she lives, just in case."

"Is she infested?"

A flicker of pain passed over Tobias's face. "Trust me, she's not."

"Come on Mel, let's get going." Tobias said to me, beginning to morph.

I smiled and started to morph into my Osprey.

"Hey, where are you two going?" David asked.

"To see my mother." Tobias answered just before he lost his Human vocal cords.

David glared. "Thought you weren't sure about meeting her."

‹We're not going to meet her.› I said ‹We're going to spy on her. It's totally different.›

"Thanks for asking if I want to go with..Nevermind. You guys are weird." David opened the window and made shooing gestures at Tobias and I. We were fully morphed now. "Get out of my room."

‹Gladly.› Tobias replied as he took off out the window with me in tow.

We spent the better part of an hour making our way down to his mother's house. The flight was almost the same as the one I used to take to the house of Tobias's uncle. As it turned out, Tobias's mother lived just a few blocks away from there.

Elfangor had been doing the same thing we were doing now for a while, he had told us. Morphing and keeping an eye on his ex-wife. But he never approached her.

As for Tobias, I was happy for him. With any luck, this would be his first look at his mother outside of photographs. If he decided to go ahead and do more than just watch her, to talk to her without Elfangor, I would back him on it without question. I knew how important this was for him. I couldn't imagine never knowing my own parents, only to find them later in life.

Tobias and I flew over his mother's house. We perched atop the neighboring home, and we waited.

‹Are you going to be okay with this?› I said just to fill the silence.

‹Yes. Tobias said, his eyes never wavering from the front door of his mother's house. ‹I can't hate her any more than I can Elfangor. I mean yeah, I'm a little upset over her not even bothering to..To come visit me or anything I guess. But I don't hate her. I'm sure she had her reasons.›

For the sake of Tobias's heart, I hoped that would turn out to be true.

After a few more minutes, Tobias caught a breeze and circled above the house, swooping low to land atop his mother's house.

I joined him, and then we heard it. Movement inside. Footsteps. Not heavy, like a man's. Not hurried. Then a clicking noise accompanied them. Dog toenails against the floor. It must have been the dog Elfangor had told us about. The guide dog for Loren. A chain jangled, and the front door swung open.

A slender, tall, pale woman stepped out onto the porch, holding the dog's harness by a big, rigid handle. She fumbled with her keys, then felt along the door. She slid the key into the lock and turned it, using her fingers as a guide. She never looked down.

Tobias gasped when Loren turned around, giving us a view of her face.

Her hair lay in clumps, she had deep gashes running from the top of her skull down to the corner of her mouth, her right ear was a mangled stump, and her right eye twisted downward.

If we were Human, I would have taken Tobias's hand in mine to comfort him.

Elfangor had warned us about this, about his mother's injuries, but seeing it...It was heartbreaking. That was it. Heartbreaking.

What do you want to do? I asked Tobias as we watched his mother and the dog turn the corner at the end of the street.

Keep following her. He said softly, already taking flight.

And that we did. We followed Loren for six dark blocks. Past the 7-Eleven, past boarded up houses and vacant lots. They stopped at an old brick church, turning down a dark passageway beside it, going down a staircase. The door at the bottom was propped open by a brick. They disappeared inside.

We couldn't exactly hurtle in after them. Tobias suggested morphing flies. I didn't think that was the wisest idea. ‹Everyone wants to kill flies.› I said. Then I suggested we just go as ourselves. Tobias wasn't any more for that idea than I had been with the flies plan, and after a moment's hesitation he said ‹Let's just go home. We can come back tonight, meet her at the house maybe.›

So we went home. _It's really his home now, considering recent revelations_, I thought as we demorphed and went inside. It was around noon now, a saturday, so we made lunch and ate together peacefully. Elfangor was away at the scoop visiting Ax, and the Animorphs were taking the weekend to spend time with their families as well, so the house was quiet.

Tobias and I watched television for a while, then, we switched to video games. We started out seriously competing against one another in the races, but then we devolved into silliness. I'd crash into him, or drive backwards just to cause trouble. Soon Tobias and I abandoned the game all together as we tried to shove the other off the couch. I had his waist gripped between my legs and was leaning halfway off the couch, keeping myself from touching the floor, when the doorbell rang.

I fell onto the carpet with a thud, laughing still as I went to answer the door.

When I opened it I found myself face to face with...Myself.

"Hello Melanie." Said the doppelganger who wore my face, but not my clothes. She wore black pants, a plain black shirt, and strangely, a dark purple leather jacket. Her hair was dyed a peculiar light orange color.

"Hello Exaff." I replied, because it couldn't be anyone else. She stepped forward, and I felt my mind shutting down again. There was too much associated with her. With this murderer.

Tobias came up behind me, grabbing my hand and giving Exaff a smile. "It's been a while." His eyes roamed over her clothes, and he gave a look of approval. "You've developed a fashion sense while you've been away."

Exaff smiled, then turned her eyes to me. I had my free arm spread over the door-way, blocking her path. "I'd like to talk to you."

I didn't move my arm. "We can talk right here. You're lucky I'm even letting you talk, seeing as you murdered my sister with my own hands, made me watch with my own eyes, and then tried to get me to not kill one of the biggest threats to Earth ever."

"Uh, Mel." Tobias said hesitantly. "We actually should talk inside. We can't risk anyone else overhearing this sort of thing."

Tobias took a step back at the look on my face. I lowered my arm and led Exaff into the living room. I sat on the couch. Tobias sat next to me. When Exaff looked to the leather recliner, I motioned to the floor. "You sit there, and you talk. Then you leave. I'm not going to let you defile anything with your touch." She gave me a shrug and sat down on the carpet.

"Chapman and the school are funding a blood drive. It starts Monday." Said Exaff.

"It's nothing we couldn't figure out ourselves." I retorted. "Don't you dare try to act like you're doing us some huge favor at the cost of yourself."

Exaff bit her lip, and I was startled at the sight of the habit. It was my habit. "I'm not trying to do that. I'm just trying to offer what little help I can. I want to repair the damage and the hurt that I caused you."

"It's a little late for I'm sorry."

"I know. But I still am." I looked away as a single tear rolled down her face. I was _not_ going to feel pity for this monster. "I always will be."

When I looked back at her, the tear was gone. "Get out. The only reason I haven't done what I promised to do all those weeks ago and kill you is because I'm not going to become the same heartless killer that you are. I'm better than you, and I'm going to keep it that way."

"You really should leave." A new voice said from the hall. It was Elfangor. "It would be best for all of us."

Exaff slowly got up, her eyes on Elfangor. "I can see that now." She turned back to me. I stood up too. I walked right up to her, staring into her eyes. I don't know what I expected to see in there, or what I even wanted to see. "I'm sorry to bother you." She said. My detachment crumbled.

I punched her in the face. Her body twisted, and I grabbed her and I punched her again, harder this time as months of rage, sorrow, and pain erupted out of me. I kicked her in the legs, felling her. I slammed my foot down on her gut, kicked her in the ribs several times, and jumped on top of her. I punched her everywhere I could. Eyes, nose, cheeks, neck, chest. I hit her for what seemed like hours until Elfangor pulled me off her.

"That's enough, Melanie." He said firmly, gripping me around the waist to keep me from lunging at Exaff again. My breathing slowed down. I realized my fists were bruised, bloodied, and hurting.

Exaff lay unmoving on the floor. All I could see of her from the neck up was blood and bruises and scraped skin. She rolled over and coughed, spewing blood everywhere. She looked up at me. "I thought you weren't going to try to kill me..."

"You'll live." I tore free of Elfangor's grasp and went up to Tobias's room, not once looking back at the scene I left behind.


End file.
